Legends of the Hidden Cemetery
by Bovine Beauty
Summary: HOTR. One autumn night, the cows accidentally find their way into an unknown cemetery where Maggie first meddles with a tombstone, opening a portal to a world beyond their own. Now they must accept the deadly challenge of Gold Tooth Willie.
1. The Hidden Cemetery

**Chapter 1: The Hidden Cemetery**

"Aw that was fun wasn't it girls?"

"It sure was Maggie," Grace agreed, feeling half tired. "That was the best Autumn Festival we've ever been to, much better than last year's as far as I recall. We only got three days left till Halloween and these trees are starting to come alive."

Grace had glanced over her shoulder, shivering at the sight of the few trees casting creepy shadows under the moonlit night. It was at this time of the evening that the cows Maggie, Grace, and Mrs. Calloway were on their way home from visiting the Autumn Festival over at Chugwater Town. While passing by houses, Grace being the one with a vivid imagination saw a few houses, trees, and cornfields as strangely ghostlike, rising up through pale wisps of fog, their dark shadows extending longer and farther throughout the valley with no end. With the cornfields silhouetted there in the twilight, a scarecrow perched above had its hideous face flickered at her in the sputtering glow of a jack o lantern. Then there was a long, low whine of autumn wind; as dead leaves spattered across the fields. Grace instantly turned away from the awful scarecrow and tried to focus on the road back home, despite her legs feeling suddenly cold.

"Alive?" Maggie gave Grace an odd look. "I knew we shouldn't have stayed in that last tent to hear the rest of that guy's campfire tale. Look what it's done to you. Trees coming to life, that's ridiculous."

"Not as ridiculous as sneaking off the farm when we should have been in bed three hours ago," Mrs. Calloway snorted, eyes half closed. "Suppose Pearl woke up to check on us and find that we were missing. Think of how she must feel."

"Aw come on Calloway, we all know you agreed to come with us for the festival," Maggie tried to smile for her. "Besides somebody once told me it ain't so bad having a little fun when the owner is not around. And I don't mean that in an ungrateful sort of way if you know what I mean."

"No, I suppose not," Mrs. Calloway couldn't argue with that tonight, being overcome with fatigue.

"You know Mrs. C, I do have to agree," Grace yawned, stretching her neck sideways. "It wouldn't be autumn without having fun off the farm to see the largest pumpkin contest. Or the dancing and the ghost story…" Grace instantly bit her lip, unable to finish her sentence, spooked by the memory of the story teller's words about the ghost riders that haunt the western skies.

"What's the matter Grace," Maggie teased, trying to sound scary as she turned her head slowly to give Grace an eerie kind of stare that shone in the moonlight. "Afraid of the ghost riders coming your way tonight?" She saw how Grace froze for a few seconds, swallowing hard.

"Now don't start Maggie," Mrs. Calloway thundered against her for Grace's defense. "If Grace is scared enough of that silly story she heard, there's no need to make it worse for her than ever."

"But I'm not scared," Grace denied, shaking her head. "I was just um…" she broke off, not knowing what else to say.

"Sure you were Grace," Maggie didn't let her finish. "Sure you were. Just watch out for the…"

"Maggie!" Mrs. C said sternly.

"Oh wait I forgot already."

* * *

><p>The three cows kept on walking, still tired from the excitement, yawning and wondering how long it would be until they reach Patch of Heaven. From the looks of it, the road was stretching farther on and on without any end. To make matters worse, a damp wind blew across the prairie, and the girls were now shivering as they kept moving. Trees crowded close on all sides, closing in behind the girls, and everything else was choked with weeds and numerous dead leaves. All anyone can see was bare brown ugliness from all sides, making all sightings unfamiliar and it was becoming spookier for Grace. Twenty minutes later, fog was rolling in.<p>

"Hey is it me or do these roads back home take longer than expected?" Maggie moaned in frustration.

"It's probably just another one of those autumn fogs that roll in every year at this time," Mrs. Calloway assured, hoping not to sound nervous. "As long as we stay on the road and keep going, we'll be home in no time."

Maggie frowned. "Are you kidding? We've been going on for twenty minutes and I'm dying to catch some shut eye. I say we take the shortcut."

Mrs. Calloway looked at Maggie, alarmed at the thought. "What! Absolutely not. We will do no such thing. There is no shortcut going through Patch of Heaven. Even if there was, there is simply too much fog to walk through at this time of night. We're sure to get lost quickly."

"Relax Calloway. I know this area like the back of my hoof. The fog's not that thick anyway. And aren't you tired as well? The moonlight will guide us straight back home like it always does."

"Sorry, I refuse to take such a crazy risk," Mrs. C protested. "So I say we stay on this road, even if it takes us all night to get back home."

Maggie, being too tired to argue, just stared at Mrs. C through half opened eyes and responded in a lazy tone. "Alright, suit yourself Calloway. If you wish to walk alone out here with all the howling winds and the things that go bump in the night, be my guest. The shortcut will still be open." Then Maggie walks off to take the risk of facing what she still believes to be a shortcut.

"Maggie wait, you wouldn't want to face the fearsome fog out in the open all by yourself," Grace shouted.

"Ha, you see Maggie."

"Which is why I'm coming with you," Grace concluded, taking off to join Maggie. "I don't believe in shortcuts, but I'll do anything to get home faster. Are you sure you won't come Mrs. C."

Mrs. Calloway still couldn't believe the nonsense going on. "I will do no such thing. I'm staying right on the road and that's that." She turned her head up high.

"Let's go Grace," Maggie insisted. "The midnight hour is approaching."

Mrs. Calloway stood in her spot, watching Maggie and Grace walk off into the dense fog just like that and snorted in disbelief. "Ugh; am I the only sane cow left here that just wants to get home the usual way tonight? I still stand by what I say. So nothing is going to make me move from this spot."

She stood there in her usual proper manner, trying to sound brave. Yet now the area around her hung in a thick mist blurred the outlines of the trees, muffling the world in gray. Her bravery slowly left as she threw a look over her shoulder, tensed at a clammy blast of cold wind. Mrs. C didn't want to admit to herself that she was starting to feel her skin crawl, despite having the trees rustle or limbs flailing like scrawny arms. In her mind she whispered that she did not believe in ghosts. Then a tree branch shaped alike a bony hand slapped down on her shoulder.

With a gasp, that set her off, her mind confused as she rushed off in hopes of finding her two friends in the fog.

"Maggie, Grace, wait up will you!" she cried hysterically. Luckily she found them before the mist became any thicker and caught up.

"Well look what the creepers have scared off," Maggie began to tease again. "And I thought you preferred to stay behind."

"Don't get me started anymore," Mrs. C pleaded. "Let's just follow this path and not say another word."

None of them said another word for a while, especially Mrs. Calloway who secretly stayed alert for any more unusual sounds and movements. In spite of what Maggie said, the proper cow would never admit to her friends that an awful terror seized her from being touched unexpectedly. So far, the whole area the cows walked in seemed quiet and foggy…too quiet in an eerie sort of way.

"Hey girls, I think we're almost there," Maggie spoke up, breaking the silence. "See, now what'd I tell you. Let's go before this fog gets any worse."

Maggie moved ahead of the two, believing the shadowy form behind the thick fog was Patch of Heaven. The other two were nearly surprised, thinking that this shortcut took them home faster than they thought. But when the three girls got closer, they all heard a sound. It felt like moaning. It was so softly at first that the girls thought it was only their imagination acting up. Then it turned roaring and teeth chattering, the girls' heads were full of it.

"Who's out there?" Maggie called. "Is it someone we know?"

When the winds ceased, the fog grew thicker instantly, covering the entire figure that the girls were heading straight toward.

"Maggie, if you don't mind me asking," Mrs. Calloway began, sounding terrified. "Please tell me that was not your stomach rumbling?"

Before Maggie could respond to that, the wind whipped around them again, echoing through the trees, louder and louder…not like crying, but like breathing.

"Maggie, was that you breathing?" Grace said in a panicked tone.

"No, I don't breath like that, not even when I sleep," Maggie denied. "Come on girls. Let's just keep going straight like we were supposed to."

For the cows, ignoring the unexplained breathing and howling was complicated, even for them. It was as if something waited for them in the fog, coming closer.

"Stay together girls," Mrs. Calloway encouraged. "It's easy to get lost in the fog if we stray too far apart."

All at once, the girls stopped moving and clung to each other for protection, too terrified to move another muscle while listening to the awful breathing around them. The trees shuddered violently as they heard something else shifting deep within the whispering fog.

"Don't look at it you two," Maggie cautioned, shivering from both cold and fear. "Just keep your eyes closed and whatever you do, don't look until it's gone."

"Oh you can say that again Miss-let's-take-the-shortcut-into-the-unknown-mist!" Mrs. C replied sarcastically. "I knew we should've stayed on the road."

"Quiet, I need to hear closely."

Being too frightened for any debate, the girls waited and waited, listening to the wind howling grew softer and softer. And the breathing was heard no more.

"Is it gone now?" Grace whispered fearfully. "Are we in Patch of Heaven yet?"

Carefully, Maggie opened on eye slowly and looked around them. With no real explanation to what had happened, this was no Patch of Heaven the girls found themselves in. It was a cemetery; possibly the real area that they were actually heading in and not their home. But if they had still been close to returning home, where did this cemetery come from?

"Maggie, are you listening?" Mrs. Calloway asked impatiently. "Earth to Maggie, wake up!"

"Um, I see…several stones sticking out from below, but no farm girls," Maggie confessed shamefully. "Look for yourselves."

Grace and Mrs. C opened their eyes and gasped at the sight, understanding what Maggie had been talking about. The girls were surrounded in a cemetery that lay before them like a ghostly garden, headstones toppled and staggered across the leaf strewn ground. Where shrubs and vines had once flowered, now there were only masses of brown stems, and trees that looked grossly misshapen in the fast-falling twilight. Light fog snaked among the headstones and old, crumbling statues stared back at the intruders through stone eyes, causing the shivers.

"What is all this?" Mrs. C demanded, both upset and fearful at the same time. "Do any of you recall Patch of Heaven standing close to a graveyard of horrors by any chance?"

"Not I," Grace shook her head. "I've never seen anything like this before. Do you Maggie?"

"Um…" Maggie tried to think of an excuse. "…maybe the fog took us off track just when we were on the right track? It's a possibility."

"We're lost, aren't we Maggie?" Mrs. C rolled her eyes.

Before Maggie can think of another excuse, her eyes became glued to a magnificent stone structure at the far end of the cemetery, wondering crazily if she could possibly be dreaming.

"Hey girls, check out the stone age structure in front of us," she said with excitement, moving closer to it.

"Maggie, don't try to change the subject. Come back here!"

But Maggie didn't stay to argue. She just kept moving closer to that tombstone out of curiosity as if she were under a spell.

"I mean it Maggie. Don't make me come over to get you. Let's go before the ghosts rise up." She clamped her mouth shut, knowing she said the wrong thing and hoped Maggie didn't hear the end of her words.

Yet Maggie stopped in her tracks, hearing what Mrs. Calloway had already said about ghosts. A smile crept slowly across her features as a plan shaped itself in her mind. Forgetting about the tombstone for a while, she whirled around to face Mrs. C with a large mischievous grin.

"Did I hear the word ghosts coming out of you?" Maggie said mockingly, still smiling.

Mrs. Calloway suddenly became embarrassed and annoyed by Maggie's mockery. "Ghosts? Did I say ghosts? I mean…what I certainly meant to say was let's go before the sky grows darker. We've wasted enough time here and we should still be in bed."

Nothing else fooled Maggie or Grace by the endless shivering of Mrs. C's legs as she tried to speak calmly and bravely in her usual behavior. She held on to that deviant smile as she crept away quietly while Mrs. C had her attention on Grace.

"If you're not scared Mrs. C, why are your legs shaking?" Grace asked, staring down at her quivering legs.

This time Mrs. Calloway was becoming upset with everything going on tonight and had enough. "Look Grace, I am not shivering because I'm scared. It's cold out here and I don't want to wake up in the morning chilled to the bone in a place like this. So don't ask me again about…where did Maggie go?"

"I don't know, she was right here a moment ago. Maggie!"

"Maggie, you come on out right now! This is no time for games! Maggie!"

Mrs. Calloway's voice came to her eerily on the wind, as if the trees had caught it in their twisted arms and thrown it back at them. There was no other sound to hear, the girls held their breath, straining to hear the sound of Maggie calling them back.

"Maggie, where are you?" Grace was getting worried for their friend.

But the two girls might have been the only living beings left in this graveyard of horrors, the evening lay so gray and empty around them. Nervously, Mrs. C glanced behind her at the Iron Gate entrance from where she believed they must have accidentally entered. Only one light was visible upon them from the orange moonlight that resembled a pumpkin ready to smile. Mrs. C cautiously tried to peer through the headstones, moving deeper into the dense fog, seeing no sign of Maggie.

"Maggie, I know you're here somewhere. So stop playing around and let's get going!" she called out sharply.

"You know Mrs. C, she might have been looking for a way out," Grace suggested. "Only she forgot to tell us about it."

"We'll see about that Grace."

Mrs. C kept moving deeper, convinced that Maggie must be playing some kind of trick to get her to admit that she's scared. Her thoughts whirled as she searched. Could this be where Maggie really had disappeared into? Was she somewhere in this set of graves? In her worried mind, in the dark, it was impossible to remember how long it has been since she took her eyes off Maggie. Drawing a shaky breath, she was now admitting to herself in secret that she was afraid to go any deeper into the graveyard. It made her stop in confusion, thinking that pressing on will get her lost the same way as Maggie, meaning Grace would be all lost and alone from where she was at. Quickly, Mrs. C turned around on alert for whatever might be…

"BOO!"

Mrs. Calloway screamed and collapsed against a larger headstone, hoof to her heart from the sound behind her. Next thing she had heard was uncontrollable laughter coming from…Maggie. By the looks of it, it was Maggie that had made her jump like that, seeing the way she collapsed backwards on the ground, laughing like a mischievous school kid.

"You should've seen the look on your face Calloway!" Maggie cried, still laughing all the way. "You were so scared!"

"Maggie, if you think for one second that was funny, I'd think again!" Mrs. Calloway shouted angrily, trying to get up. She took a deep breath, then another, hoping to get her breathing back to normal. "That was the most childish stunt you ever pulled!"

Maggie had been laughing so hard, tears were coming out of her eyes. She was too caught up in her little prank that she had barely listened to what Mrs. Calloway told her. "Oh come on, you looked scared the moment I surprised you. Wait till the whole farm hears what happened!" Then she started laughing all over again.

Angrily, Mrs. Calloway managed to get herself up, glaring at Maggie as she tackled her. Embarrassed and annoyed by Maggie's childish prank, Mrs. C had her cornered against a twisted tree, having both hooves on her shoulders in hopes of strangling the foolishness out of her for choosing the wrong time to play boneheaded jokes in a place like this. It made her feel like a complete fool in front of Grace…if she did in fact see what had happened.

"I was only kidding!" Maggie gasped when Mrs. C started shaking her. "I didn't mean it that way!"

Even though Maggie could have pried the proper cow off of her when she wanted to, she was taken by surprise once being tackled, nearly forgetting that she should have known better than to play a prank on someone like Mrs. Calloway. And now look what had happened. But she didn't blame her for it. Silently to herself, Maggie vowed never to do it again, if she was able to get the words out of her mouth right now. The shaking soon stopped, but not long before Mrs. C raised her hoof as if preparing to throw a punch, which Maggie had her eyes closed.

All of a sudden, there came a scream.

Both girls suddenly turned to the high pitch scream that possibly came from Grace on the other side.

"Grace, we forgot all about her!" Mrs. C cried, getting herself off of Maggie. "Get up Maggie. We'll talk more about this later!"

Maggie did not say a word, thinking it was better to remain silent instead of aggravating her with any more stupid jokes. They had recently found Grace unharmed, asking her what had happened that made her scream like that. The blond cow pointed toward a gnarled hand touching down on the largest tomb.

**AN**: _I know that I said there would be no more Halloween fanfics. But the idea for this story came from a dream I had that often had me debating with myself on whether or not I should upload and turn it into a story. So after a talk with one of my friends yamimakai3, I gave it a try and decided to credit him for helping me out with ideas to the story. My other two Halloween stories had only Grace traveling. But this time the girls will be altogether, but I will not reveal the rest until later chapters. Even when the day after Halloween comes and goes, the spirit will still be left in me all through the year. Oh, I forgot to mention at the beginning of this story that all characters; except the ones I created are of The Walt Disney Company. I don't own any of them, although I almost wish that I did._


	2. A Vortex Opens

**Chapter 2: A Vortex Opens**

"Grace, what happened?" Mrs. C asked in between breaths. "We heard you scream."

"There's a hand pointing down on the headstone," Grace whimpered, shivering as she stared in fear at the gnarled tree branch in the shape of a hand. To Grace, it looked as if it wanted her and the other two to read the inscription carved into the headstone, larger than the rest in the cemetery. "I think it wants us to read what it says."

Mrs. Calloway could only shake her head, knowing how Grace can act with a vivid imagination. She moved forward to have a look for herself until Maggie popped up, blocking her view.

"Hey what is this?" she muttered in curiosity and concern.

"That is what has frightened our dear Grace into screaming if you hadn't notice," Mrs. C replied. "Since I can't make out what it says, maybe you can tell us what is written on the inscription?"

"Sure thing," Maggie insisted, carefully reading the name and gasped in surprise. "Hey I know this name from anywhere."

"What, what does it say?" Grace asked nervously.

"Here lies William Henry Tucker, best known as Gold Tooth Willie," Maggie read the inscription.

"Ever heard of him?" Grace blinked.

"Heard of him?" Maggie smiled. "I remember the tale when I was no more than two years old. Everyone knows about one of the meanest, craftiest, cheating varmints that ever lived in the old west…even long before Alameda Slim came along. Let me tell you all about it."

Mrs. Calloway rolled her eyes, whispering. "Oh poppycock, here we go again."

Maggie didn't hear too well as she started. "I don't know too much about the life and times of Gold Tooth Willie. But I do remember Abner telling everyone on the Dixon Ranch that he participated at a gunfight over at Oak Shire County where two sides were at war with one another. Willie would sometimes cheat folks out of their money and trading goods, cheating and robbing his way to riches at any cost. He even had a thing for games and not just any games…dangerous kinds. According to legend, more than twenty five men met their end after Willie challenged them one by one to a game of 'Find the Gold' only to realize too late that he set them up, never mentioning that they were crossing over Phantom Gulch where no rider has ever returned. It was rumored to have been inhabited by legendary beasts of Indian folklore, yet no one dared to ride over there to find out if it was true."

Mrs. Calloway remained calm, but Grace felt the last bit of warmth drain from her body.

"So what else happened?" Grace still wanted to hear more, despite her fear.

"Willie was later pursued by the sheriff and his lawmen who had already suspected him of being responsible for the disappearances of those men. Soon after a five day manhunt, Willie was severely wounded by a bullet in the left shoulder while fleeing and the last place he retreated to was a cemetery…like this one."

Both girls stared at Maggie, an icy chill rippling through their bodies. "This one?" Both said at the same time.

"Yep, this one it seems. But that's not all. Willie thought that he could escape from the gallows if he took his hiding place in the cemetery." Maggie had her eyes closed briefly, taking a deep breath. "Boy was he ever wrong. Little did Willie know that not even an outlaw like him could escape from the wrath of Mother Nature herself. A storm blew in before Willie was suddenly hit by lightning, eventually meeting his own demise."

The other two cows cringed at the thought of what they were told, backing away from Willie's grave in disgust. Maggie cleared her throat, signaling that she wasn't quite finished yet.

"The sheriff and his men arrived too late when they found Willie dead before they could arrest him. He was buried on that day with no funeral and no mourners. The one item buried with him was a mysterious gold red amulet that no one knows where he got it from. Nobody cared either. Willie was gone and that was that. The world was now a better place without desperadoes like him. Although some say that they've claim to have witnessed some unexplained activity here such as voices and objects floating in midair."

"But Maggie," Grace squeaked up. "You don't suppose that this cemetery is haunted by…"

"Willie's ghost," Maggie grinned evilly in another of her teasing manners. "It could be him for all I know. But if it is, it's best to watch yourself in a place like this. Nobody messes with ghosts." She ended the story with silence, and then burst out laughing. "Yeah right, the ghost of Gold Tooth Willie haunting this place? Come on."

The other two stared in puzzlement for a few seconds until Grace took a step forward.

"But Maggie, what about the unexplained activity like you mentioned? Is that still true?"

"I don't know Grace," Maggie confessed, still giggling. "I reckon all those folks that have seen things must have been tired or drunk on those long nights. But let me tell you that there ain't no such things as ghosts."

"Watch it Maggie dear," Mrs. Calloway warned. "I myself am no expert at supernatural nonsense, but may I remind you that we are in a cemetery where anything could happen. So whether or not I believe in ghosts, I advise you to watch what you say around here."

"She's right Maggie," Grace agreed. "If there is a ghost like Willie here, we better leave before he gets mad. Like you said, nobody messes with ghosts, especially if they're the evil type."

Despite her story, Maggie was not convinced. Then she gave her two friends a humorless smile, ready to prove a point.

"Look you two, that part about Willie's ghost is nothing but a hoax used to scare children into obeying their parents like all other ghost stories. Don't believe me; let me prove it to you."

The girls watched Maggie move closer to that headstone courageously, peering into Willie's headstone with a piercing gaze.

"Hey Willie, what are you doing sleeping around all day?" She shouted at the headstone. "Why not come on out and give us a good scare to show that you're not dead? Come on I dare you! Me and my friends are not afraid of some ghost. We can handle you any day, even to kick your undead butt! Are you listening to me or are you too afraid to face Pearl's girls?"

While had been mocking at Willie's headstone, both Grace and Mrs. Calloway suddenly looked up at the sky, realizing that at the same moment the sky above was slowly being engulfed by clouds of red and black, giving the nighttime sky a lurid, unnatural looking quality. Both cows were growing nervous every second which Maggie didn't bother to notice. Either it was just their imaginations acting up or truly something eerie and supernatural was sensing their presence in a place where they shouldn't be.

"Mrs. C," Grace whispered. "I hate to say this, but don't you think something might be watching us?"

"I must agree," Mrs. C whispered back. "It's time we leave before Maggie does something drastic."

"Like what?"

"Such as…"

"UH OH, CLUMSY ME!"

The two turned around to see that Maggie had kicked some dirt at the headstone, still mocking away. The girls were now concerned and horrified at else could happen.

"I guess you're not much of a scary ghost that I thought you'd be," she boasted. "I'm so disappointed I could cry. Maybe they should have named you…Willie the Loser! That name suits you real…OUCH!"

"Alright Maggie that's enough of your foolishness!" Mrs. Calloway scolded, yanking Maggie by the ear using the tip of her tail the same way a human mother would deal with a disobedient child. "You made your point and now it's time we were in bed before sunrise!"

"Aw ear pain kicking in!" Maggie groaned as the girls were preparing to head out toward the gate entrance, humiliated by this treatment. But perhaps it served her right.

Then all of a sudden, the wind picked up in a blast before forks of lightening danced about. Before any of the girls could say a word, the gates shut by themselves, locking them in. A huge bolt of lightning struck down on the rest of the iron fence itself, making it electrified and impossible for an escape! The ground beneath shook rapidly.

"What's this earthquake?" Grace shouted over the growing noise of the wind and rumble. "Now I know this place is haunted!"

"I don't know, but where did this lightning come from all of a sudden?" Mrs. Calloway shouted back. "We must get the gate open!"

The orange moonlight was soon engulfed by the black clouds, leaving the cows more stunned and confused. But that didn't stop them from trying to approach the gates. But because the gates were now electrified, sparks shot out, sending the girls backwards in the midst of the cemetery. The ground still shook, leaving the girls too frightened to speak or move, never seeing anything like this before. Distracted, nobody saw the grave of Gold Tooth Willie glow red from beneath the soiled earth. Even Maggie didn't realize that she was backing up slowly toward it as she looked up fearfully at the thundering sky, streaked with lightning. It wasn't long before a strange and eerie voice started to speak.

_Who disturbs my eternal slumber_?

Hearing this, the girls froze stiff. They turned their heads left and right, seeing that there was nobody else in here. It barely sounded like a normal human being. Maybe it was the ghost of Gold Tooth Willie? That put Maggie out of the mischievous mood that wouldn't let her know when she was taking things way too far.

_I see you_!

Maggie's pulse quickened, becoming more nervous and jumpy as she turned around, hoping that the voice wasn't talking about her alone. Her teeth were starting to chatter; getting the feeling that maybe there really is a ghost here. And it wasn't quite happy with what she had been saying. She backed away slowly and cautiously, staying alert. Once her right back leg had accidentally stepped foot on Willie's grave, she found it to be caught by something. She looked down in horror and saw a black gloved hand clutching at her ankle!

Maggie gasped, struggling to release herself, but somehow the hand kept a good tight grip on her ankle. Next thing that happened was Maggie falling flat on her stomach, seeing that she was being pulled into the grave.

"Maggie!" Grace cried out, rushing to her friend's aid with Mrs. Calloway behind her.

Grace tried to pull Maggie back up by holding onto her bell with her teeth, but it did no good. The force pulling Maggie in had now suddenly transformed Willie's grave into a swirling portal sucking all three cows inside. The cows all screamed in terror, into the swirling red and orange vortex, falling farther and farther underneath the cemetery, into the brink of the abyss. Blackness soon enveloped them with their own screams echoing in their ears, never knowing for how long. As soon as it had started, the falling was over and the girls felt the ground beneath them. The area around them had no headstones. Instead the air was cold and the sky a dark gray with clouds of red and black. It was an eerie atmosphere, made worse by the view of a valley possibly filled with twisted, leafless, trees with claws for branches. The girls found that they had landed on some kind of flat hill that overlooked the valley down below. The ghostlike glow from the full orange moon made things feel more terrifying to look at.

"Wow, where in the heck are we?" Maggie said, trying not to sound as scared as she already was. "This place is like the underworld of the walking dead."

"You think we wouldn't know that Maggie?" Mrs. Calloway said in a matter of fact tone. "First we stumble upon a graveyard out of nowhere, and now we're stuck in this dead hole thanks to you."

Before Maggie could answer back, the girls turned around slowly behind once they listened carefully to the sound of clanking spurs coming their way from behind the dark mist. The closer it got, the more the figure revealed itself to be in the form of a hideous ghoul.

**AN**: _Another update to add. Oh and I forgot to mention that the title of this story was a parody title to an old show on Nickelodeon that was called 'Legends of the Hidden Temple' of the 90s. It now seems that Maggie's little joke had gone too far without her knowing about it until it was too late. But I will assure readers that it will not be the end of this story just yet. I haven't even yet discussed anything further on Gold Tooth Willie which will be in the third chapter._


	3. Gold Tooth Willie

**Chapter 3: Gold Tooth Willie**

The girls turned around to face the mist before them, hearing some kind of clanking that grew louder every second.

_Clink clank…clink clank…clink clank…CLINK CLANK…CLINK CLANK…CLINK CLANK_!

With her heart beating faster, Maggie couldn't take much more, "WHOEVER YOU ARE, STOP THAT CLANKING AND SHOW YOURSELF! I AIN'T AFRAID OF YOU!" She screamed at the unseen force that acted like it wanted to torment her and the other two.

But the clanking did not stop there as the girls could now see something dark, sinister and shadowy coming closer along with a wave of wicked laughter. The deep, dark tone of it made the girls shiver in their frozen spot. The dark figure became more visible, holding a burning torch in hand. The light from the torch revealed the face, not of a human, but a creature with pale green flesh, long black hair that went down to his shoulders all stringy and greasy, its yellowish teeth were a bit longer than the normal length of a humans with a gold tooth on the right side of his upper jaw, and finally the eyes were a sickly yellow color with red pupils. With one look at his gold tooth, Maggie was reminded of the same headstone and hand that pulled her into the grave. For right then Maggie was convinced that she and her friends were in the presence of a ghoul, maybe even more than one, but Maggie didn't want to know about that.

Right then the creature's mouth formed into a sadistic grin as Maggie's eyes widened in mute horror. She saw that the creature wore a dark brown trench coat, dark blue pants, and black boots with spurs, a black vest, crimson handkerchief, black gloves, and black cowboy hat on his head. One good look at that creature and Maggie's hoof flew to her mouth, stifling her scream, as she guessed who it was staring deathly at all three of them.

"Girls, I think it's him," Grace whispered, scared.

"Shh," Maggie warned. "Don't say his name."

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that if I was you," the creature said as he stepped forward and waved his hand around to clear the mist and show his appearance better. He kept his grin as he said that, even laughed, but in his nasty ghoulish eyes and gold tooth was a shine more dangerous than anything they've ever seen before. He added, "Willie's the name, Gold Tooth Willie."

Finally knowing of his true identity, the girls backed up a step as Willie walked closer. He sure wasn't anything that a normal human being would look. Of course he wasn't. Willie was dead or undead in the unknown world they were in.

"What do you want from us?" Grace asked suspiciously. The girls were close together for protection. Willie smiled slyly at her question, as he stood tall and in command in front of them.

"I think I should be the one to question you three bovine intruders!" Willie exclaimed. "But what I really wanna know is which one o' you from above dared to make a mockery o' me with those insults that woke me from my eternal slumber?" He stared daggers at the three cows as he swung the torch in front, silencing them. "Don't think I don't know what happened cause I do. Bein' mocked at from beyond the grave is what we ghouls refer to as the _ultimate disrespect_!"

Maggie felt a slight sting in her body as he said the last two words in such darkness, now knowing what a huge mistake she made with Willie's grave. What was she to do now? Should she step forward and admit her mistake to some outlaw who was already dead before their eyes? What would he do to her if she told him about it? Or worse, what would he do to her friends as well?

Willie was already growing impatient. "I'm waitin' for an answer you three! Was it you Blondie?" He pointed his accusing finger at Grace.

"We didn't mean to wake you!" Grace cried out, cowering to the ground. "We were lost and didn't know your grave was haunted, otherwise we would have stayed out! Right Mrs. C."

"Don't drag me into this Grace," Mrs. Calloway replied, shivering. "I'd never do such a horrid thing."

Having enough of this, Willie's eyes burned furiously as he announced. "Not talkin' eh? I'll give ya'll ten seconds to come forward and confess startin' now…ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two…"

"I DID IT!" Maggie stood up from her spot and came forward to stand in front of Willie, still scared, yet she confessed anyway. "It was me, not them. Leave them out of this I tell you." She hoped to remain calm while confronting him, standing her ground. "It wasn't their fault. I was the one who suggested that we take a shortcut through the fog so we'd be back home right away. Only it hadn't turned out the way we expected once we found that the fog started coming faster than the usual rate. Then somehow we opened our eyes seeing that instead of finding Patch of Heaven, it was the graveyard of lost souls that none of us recall being that close to our home." Then Maggie hesitated, swallowing before she continued. "I guess you can say…I sort of got carried away with my…little joke up there. But how was I to know something like that would trigger a portal to a different dimension? I never heard of anyone mention anything like RRRUUUUNNNNN!"

The other two were confused for a second until they had seen Maggie use her head to knock the torch out of Willie's hand, causing it to fall and set him in a huge flame.

"Come on girls let's get out of here!" Maggie cried out as she started to make a run for it somewhere in the fog.

"Maggie, wait for us!" Grace shouted back, running after Maggie with Mrs. Calloway at her side.

There had seemed to be no other way of trying to stall Willie from hurting her friends, especially when he was not the least bit human. Unfortunately for the girls, there was no way out of the never ending fog to tell which direction they were running in. Something had floated above the girls just then…everywhere they had turned…there was no escape from the dreadful sound that blew like invisible leaves in a cold, invisible wind.

"How do we find our way out?" Grace cried out in a panic.

"I don't know, but just keep moving and it will stop," was all Maggie could think of as a response, too blinded with terror to think clearly.

_I see you_!

There came the dark voice of Gold Tooth Willie, watching their every move. It was like being trapped in a nightmare where eyes watched Maggie and her friends from the unfathomable darkness…so close, so near to the girls, seeing everything they were doing to try and escape; even reading through their minds.

Then out of nowhere, Willie managed to jump in front of the girls while still aflame. But with a wave of his right hand, the flames were extinguished as if they were never there.

Maggie's eyes flew open. For a long terrifying moment, she and her friends lay there, bewildered and afraid, trying to figure out a new plan of escape.

Willie mockingly waved his finger at the three. "Naughty, naughty, looks like I have to teach you a lesson!"

In an instant, Willie grabbed Maggie by the shoulders with surprising strength, pulling her over him to the opposite side of the mist. Before she had known it, Maggie had hit something hard and fell to the ground in a painful thud, stunned at this ghoul's doings and huge amount of strength that no mortal from above could ever possess. It might have been a tree she crashed into. She even thought that she heard her two friends being hurled next after her, landing in different spots. As her eyes painstakingly adjusted to the mist, Maggie turned her head slowly to where she heard Willie's footsteps approaching by the clanking of those spurs attached to his boots.

She could see that he was coming from behind the mist. And this time his whole body was glowing green and bright like an ominous ghost light. The shriek that formed in her throat stuck there, threatening to choke the life out of her. Maggie could see that horrible creature…only ten feet away from where she had frozen stiff…the dark indistinct outline of something evil approaching, not making another sound…just watching her with madness glinting in his wicked yellow eyes.

The mist cleared a bit, revealing more of Willie's figure.

Seeing the glint in his deathly stare, Maggie's chest heaved as she fought to control her fears looming side of her. _Dear me, what have I done? Willie is coming this way and it's all because I thought I could prove that ghosts don't exist. Well it looks like this might be the end of the line for me_.

And even as Maggie bolted upright, she thought she could see how more mist cleared the path for Willie as he kept on coming, too weak from the hard landing to make a run for it…not that there was much of a place to make a run to. In this unknown world, Maggie knew with dreadful certainty there would be no opening to find…the same portal which the girls had entered…not in this awful mist.

Her whole body trembled once Willie was now standing beside her, waving his finger to form a circle. What happened next was Maggie finding that a large brown vine from the tree next to her quickly wrapped itself around her body, lifting her three feet from the ground, helplessly dangling. Maggie chuckled nervously once Willie grabbed hold of her bell, pulling her closer to his eye level, almost choking her. Her fearful eyes were glued in horrible fascination to see how much fury he held behind that horrid expression of his.

"Listen to me cow," Willie growled, spattering her with spit, giving an awful dose of decaying breath. "Normally if I wasn't in such a foul mood tonight, I'd give you a break and let you and your friends go free. But let me make it clear on what happens to obnoxious little loud mouth hooligans like you!" Maggie's face became sweaty, listening to his warning. "I ain't the type o' sharp shooter that will tolerate insults, mockeries, or double crossin' down in this place where all ghosts and ghouls dwell after death. And because you had the nerve to meddle in my restin' place with that big mouth o' yours, not to mention the dirt throwin', you know what I'm gonna do to someone like you?"

Maggie turned her head away, not wanting to take another hard look at him or guess what he had in mind for her.

"I'm gonna suck the life outta yah…with this red amulet!" Willie yelled, pulling out a gold item with a shining ruby attached in the middle that had been hidden in his vest, wrapped around his neck. "Are there any last words from you before I begin?" he squeezed his grip on Maggie.

"Wait a minute!" she begged, struggling to breathe. "You wouldn't wanna hurt a lady would you? Why not just try to talk this over and we promise to never speak of this to anyone?" Her whole body went numb, seeing that the red amulet was already glowing. "Wouldn't it help if I said I'm sorry?" Willie ignored her pleading as his eyes started glowing red along with his body. "Oh wait I know, why don't you let me go if you can laugh at this joke I came up with? What do you get from pampered cows?" Fear flashed across her face to see Willie hold up with glowing amulet. "Spoiled milk, get it?" Willie was not laughing. "Wait that's not it, how about this then?" Maggie's body began to glow red. "If you see a whole field of cows, what would be the fastest way to figure out how many cattle there are? Try counting the hooves and divide by four!"

"Not impressed!" Willie cackled madly. "But I got a riddle for you. Why did the fat cow enter the cemetery?

"She lost her way?"

"Going once."

"To talk to a ghost?"

"Going twice."

"I give up."

"To lose her soul to Willie!"

Eyes widening in terror, Maggie tried to pry Willie's grip off of her bell, but his hand wouldn't budge. Nothing she did seemed to do her any good. All Maggie could do was screw her eyes shut, grit her teeth, and hope that this was all a bad dream. Plus she would vow never to make a mockery of any dead outlaws ever again.

Her life would have ended right away if it hadn't been for her listening to Willie give a small yelp and released his grip on her, suddenly and unexpectedly, thus feeling the large vine unwrap itself and drop her. A sharp pain hit her, making her grab her head with her front legs. Miraculously, she recovered and got up on all fours to see what had happened to Willie. She couldn't see straight, but she did hear Willie's moans and Mrs. Calloway's angry voice.

"Leave her alone you foul undead skeleton man!" Mrs. Calloway snapped at Willie, caring less what kind of thing he was when she knew Maggie's life had been in danger.

Maggie followed the sound of her friend's voice, eventually finding her within minutes standing alongside Grace. She didn't know what happened, but the brown cow bravely joined beside her friends to face Willie who was lying on the ground, taken by surprise to see the black cow had the guts to stand up and defend her friend like that. Although the worst it did was daze him for a while, he had no trouble rising up.

"What's this?" He demanded. "You dare interfere in my attempt to finish off the fat one? She deserves to…"

"No, she doesn't you!" Mrs. Calloway snapped back. "What our friend Maggie did might have been foolish, careless, and irresponsible. But that doesn't mean we would sit back and allow scum like you to lay a finger on her."

"Yeah," Grace stepped up firmly, even when a small dose of fear still waved inside her. "We'd do anything for a member of our family, even when we're caught in dangerous situation…uh, which is right now." She grew nervous staring into Willie's hardened expression, still aware of what he was capable of doing.

"Anything you say?" Willie suddenly turned with his back facing the girls. Right now, he had wanted to finish them all one by one. And he would have if his hand didn't reach into his vest pocket to pull out a blue pearl necklace. Staring hard into it, a smirk crept onto his face once a new plan shifted into his head. "Alright then girls, perhaps I might've been a little too hard on your friend recently. So I'm willin' to send ya'll back home."

"Really, you mean that?" Grace asked, feeling some form of relief.

"But I ain't lettin' you go that easily just yet." Turning around, he saw that their faces fell. "First we're gonna play a game. Think you can handle it?"

"WH…what kind of game did you have in mind for us?" Grace stuttered.

"A treasure huntin' kind," Willie responded. "All yah gotta do is find one item in each level before movin' on to the next. An item like this." He showed them the pearl necklace.

"That's it?" Maggie tried not to laugh. "That won't be so hard for us."

"That ain't all missy," Willie warned dangerously. "I'm challenging you and your friends to a game o' ten different levels; each with a hidden item to find. Find'em all and I'll let you go home. Fail, and you'll be trapped here forever…with me." He grinned, revealing those awful long teeth which made the girls shudder and step backwards. "Also I'd like to add that I'm given you till the stroke o' midnight on Halloween so that gives us enough time to settle things out."

Grace gasped. "Midnight on Halloween? But everyone will be worried sick about us."

"I'm givin' you sidewinders a chance to live!" Willie retorted, pulling out a pocket watch. "So I suggest you get movin' and don't try double crossin' me again…startin' now."

The girls turned to see the mist clear up and reveal a trail down the hill for them to make their start.

"I don't know if I like the looks of what's down there," Grace whimpered.

"Nor do I Grace," Mrs. C agreed in a whispering tone. "But what other choice do we have? We're dealing with a supernatural being that won't let us go unless we accept."

The girls thought for a moment, before Mrs. Calloway turned around to let Willie know that they have accepted the challenge. Only to their surprise, Willie was gone and all they could hear was the eerie silence that surrounded them. Turning back to the clear trail, their only option to do now was follow it.

**AN**: _Here is another update. Sorry for the long wait, and I know that it is no longer October. But I'm just trying to finish up this story as soon as possible knowing that the spirit of both Halloween and Christmas can be with me through the whole year. Hopefully the next chapter will be soon enough. Right now I'm working on my art stuff. Then again it doesn't hurt to get started on a Halloween or Christmas story a month or two before. Right now it looks like the girls are now about to get caught in a deadly game of treasure hunting in Willie's hands. What did Willie mean when he said ten different levels? You'll find out in the next chapter._


	4. Let the Games Begin

**Chapter 4: Let the Games Begin**

As the girls trotted down the road, the woods and trees gave them an uncomfortable feeling that something else other than Willie might be watching and stalking their every move. Still they had kept their move on, trying hard not to get distracted or let their imaginations play tricks again. The last thing that the girls needed was for another dead corpse jumping out and threatening them.

"So how far do you think it is to find wherever we're supposed to be by now?" Grace asked, being on alert.

"Beats me, all Willie said was for us to follow this trail until we get there," Maggie replied. "But it better be soon cause my hooves are killing me."

"After fifteen minutes?" Mrs. Calloway frowned. "Sounds like you're in much desperate need of body building from all that grazing."

"Ha ha, very funny Calloway," Maggie scoffed. "I'm in much perfect shape. I just have big bones."

"Now where have I heard that one before?"

"Look girls!" Grace shouted, causing the two to jump a bit from her sudden outburst. "Here's a sign pointing the way."

The girls found that they had approached a sign at the edge of the path pointing to the left where the trail followed. On the sign post the words read _this way to the Maple Grove Museum of History_.

"Wait a minute; he wants us to check out a museum?" Maggie was puzzled. "That's it? That doesn't sound so bad."

"Careful what you say Maggie," Mrs. Calloway cautioned. "This is just the beginning."

They continued down the trail again with that same feeling of these woods not being welcoming due to the black shadows from the twisted trees and the thick gray fog settling over them. Everything was forbidding as if it was a sign telling the girls to turn back and leave if they knew what was good for them. Still the girls had no choice but to keep going unless they wanted to be trapped in the underworld with Willie forever. None of them wanted to think about what the ghoulish outlaw would do to them once they were trapped. Maggie stared at the gnarled branches, seeing them as bony fingers trying to grab a hold of her. The thought made her shudder as she kept looking around fearfully.

"There it is," Grace spoke up.

The cows looked ahead to see a large stone structured building not too far away in a clear opening with no trees or branches blocking the way. Like the woods, the sight of the building didn't seem welcoming either. But moving onward was their only option and to find out what would happen next. As the girls approached, Maggie imagined that this building would likely have nothing more to fear than the darkness inside that would be enough to trigger her imagination.

From the outside, it appeared that the building looked as though no one had taken care of it for ages with its dark, old, crumbling walls, windows, and pillars. It was one that only folks would find in the city. There was at least only one light on inside behind the middle window above the entrance. Weeds and vines crept up the pillars. And standing next to the high row of stairs was a sign that had been labeled _Welcome to the Maple Grove Museum of History. Please watch your step as you enter_.

"So what now?" Maggie looked up at the museum. "Do we go inside or wait for something else to happen?"

"Enter the museum o' course! Where else?"

The girls turned around in alarm, finding Willie standing behind with his arms folded across his chest with the same deadly smirk across his face.

"I was almost startin' to think you'd never reach this far," he mocked.

As frightened as she was of Willie, Maggie was getting rather annoyed and stepped up. "Alright cut to the chase Ghoul Boy and tell us what we need to find inside. We won't know unless you give us a clue."

"Yeah," the other two agreed.

"I know the rules of a game," Willie said, moving up to stand before the building, scratching underneath his chin in thought. "Now where do I start? Aha, I know." He turned to face the girls. "In the museum o' history, there sits a gold crown one can only find in the hall o' heroes n' legends. Find it n' bring it back to me. But beware the queen in red." He laughed evilly before disappearing in a second, leaving only his voice to be heard in the air. "Let the games begin."

The girls froze stiffly in their spots and suddenly turned to the sound of the entrance doors slowly opening by themselves. Altogether they had backed up. The heavy doors groaned as they swung open and came to a halt. They stared into the vast dark interior. Light from above could be seen in the distance, little else.

"This is it girls," Mrs. Calloway said uneasily. "Our first mission lies in the museum. So whatever happens, stay close together and…" she used her tail to seize Maggie's bell, tugging at it firmly after noticing how Maggie was backing away. "…no use trying to sneak your way out of it Maggie. You got us into this and we're going to get out of it. And stop that whimpering at once."

Maggie whimpered softly as she was dragged into the front entrance where none of them knew what they would find within. She hadn't even considered that perhaps there was no way of getting in unless the doors were locked. On the other hand, she didn't want to wait outside in the dark woods and watch for darker creatures to pop out if it should happen. Or worse, she didn't want to be alone with Willie who might as well be holding a grudge against her for what had happened.

"Hello, is anyone here?" Grace called. Her words echoed as it trailed off into the distance.

Nobody answered.

"Maybe it's empty," Maggie said.

"Or maybe that's the first sign for us to stop wasting time and go in," Mrs. C muttered, pulling harder on Maggie's bell to drag her inside as all three of them entered together.

Maggie was never hesitant on hoping to talk their way out of this. "You know, this is almost too complicated if you ask me. I say we go back outside and this time I bribe that Willie guy into sending us back home if he can't laugh at the funniest joke of all time. Maybe we'll consider ourselves lucky."

"Maybe you'll consider yourself out of luck because it simply won't work for someone like him," Mrs. C replied.

Maggie groaned softly as she and her friends were now barely inside when the doors slammed shut on their backs in which the hard noise caused them to jump.

"See, I told you so," the proper cow whispered in the dark. "Ghosts are clever."

The entry room was vast, with walls of white paint. As their eyes adjusted to the dim light cast by the electric chandeliers hanging from the ceilings and the electric candle holders attached to the walls on every side, there were no exhibits, statues, or people around anywhere. The only other objects on the walls were paintings depicting stories from centuries ago such as natives, forests, cave dwellings, oceans, medieval kingdoms, European explorers, temples, tombs, villages, empires, carnivals, farm civilizations, cities, and many famous known people throughout history. Even if it weren't for the dust and cobwebs in a few areas, this museum would not have looked so deserted for ages.

"Why is it so cold in here girls?" Grace said, shivering.

"Who's cold?" Maggie shrugged, denying that she too was shivering. "I don't feel cold at all. I'm warm with excitement."

"Well you must be," Mrs. C said sharply, looking downward at Maggie's front knees. "With your knees quivering down to your hooves, you must be so full of bravery to realize we have just entered a place of great evil, from which there is no escape till we find that crown."

She waited for Maggie to respond…which was to see her try and cover her knees, trying not to look as horrified as she truly was inside. It seemed Mrs. Calloway had already seen through her pretend bravery, fully knowing how to tell when someone was only pretending.

"No time for idle chat you two. We don't want to keep our first mission delayed," Mrs. Calloway insisted. "Mr. Willie knows we're still in here and he may not be a patient ghoul if we stood around talking. I say we head straight down the hallway."

The hallway appeared to be rather long, leading to another set of doors they pushed themselves through to enter another room larger than the entrance hall. This one was also lightened up by electric chandeliers and decorated with more paintings on the walls. Then there was a single massive fireplace.

That wasn't all that the girls saw. In the center of the large room was a huge hourglass resting on a white pillar, sand drifting slowly downward with each grain glowing like stars as it counted off the seconds. And on the right side of the hourglass were three items sitting inside a glass case. There looked to be a rolled up piece of large paper, an exquisite ruby necklace, and a large purple crystal shard attached with leather string.

"What are these doing here?" Grace stared closely in curiosity. "Are they part of the museum?"

"It looks like it," Maggie answered, gazing at the items until her eyes looked down at a gold plate in front of the glass case with words imprinted and she carefully read into it. "Greetings girls, welcome to the museum of history. In each mission you go through, you will see this hourglass showing how much time you have until midnight on Halloween before the sand from above is empty. Inside the glass case are three main items that will be helpful on your missions, a map of this world, a ruby necklace to track down the lost treasures, and a power stone of protection to use against your opponents. But be warned, the big ones are not taken down that easily. You'll need to think with your head to figure out its weakness once inside its lair. Choose carefully and be careful not to touch the wax figures in every exhibit. Objects may come to life."

Grace swallowed in fear, pleading in her mind that Maggie would stop reading. But there were a few more words on the gold plaque to read as Maggie continued.

"So keep your eyes out for signs and allies that may help you out. You just remember I'll keep my eye on you girls, especially you Chubby…HEY!" Maggie being insulted realized then that these words must have been left from Willie somehow.

"Well at least these items are for free," Mrs. Calloway said, removing the top lid with her head. "I'll carry the map. Grace, take the ruby and Maggie…"

"…wait don't tell me," Maggie interrupted still upset by the insult from Willie's writing. "I take the stupid crystal and wear around my neck to do all the fighting monsters and ghosts' thing."

Mrs. Calloway stared at her with a stern look, handing her the stone of protection. "Maggie, do I have to remind you how we got stuck here in the first place?"

"Oh yeah right, I forgot," Maggie pretended that she forgot this whole mess was her doing.

"Then zip it and put this thing on!"

Like a child being scolded by her mother, Maggie obediently took the stone of protection to place around her neck. "Alright girls, let's get this thing over with." Now she knew there was no point in arguing with anybody.

"But which area do we start in?" Grace asked.

Mrs. Calloway looked at a sign up the wall labeled _The Prehistoric Age_ pointing to the left. Then she turned to the right where another sign said _Land of the Vikings_.

"They both look the same to me," she said. "But why not try the prehistoric exhibit first? If we search through every hall, we're bound to find something…as long as it's not Willie."

So the girls walked to the left hallway and into the large room known as the prehistoric exhibit. In this place were fake prehistoric jungles with long extinct reptilian birds, crocs, fishes, and insects. Then there were the properly organized bone structures of dinosaurs surrounded by poles with chains attached to each other to keep visitors from stepping over them.

"So this is what it's like to visit a museum in the city," Grace whispered. "Not quite what I expected. Everything is all dark and quiet. Where are all the people?"

"Maybe it's passed their bedtime?" Maggie shrugged, getting all tensed up by staring at the sharp teeth of the skeletal raptors and crocs. "Then again, why would Willie send us in here if it's closed? We might as well have run into something by now."

"Like what?" Grace asked.

"I don't know, probably a guard…an alarm system…or maybe a live statue ready to stop us where we are."

"More likely a trap for all we know," Mrs. C cut in. "Remember what the notice said next to the hourglass? As long as we don't touch the statues, we'll be fine. But we have to hurry and be careful at the same time. I sure as heck wouldn't want to be up against the statue of Goliath or a dragon for all I know of."

"Good point," Maggie agreed. "But I doubt this exhibit holds a crown. Let's try the next one across the hall."

Mrs. Calloway was exasperated and impressed by Maggie's sudden change in her behavior. "Why Maggie, does that mean you're willing to cast aside your silly stubborn attitude and finally take responsibility for your actions."

Maggie became quiet as she took a look at Mrs. Calloway's firm expression, speechless and quiet before she answered. "Um…uh…we got to get outta here somehow. Now where's the next exhibit of horrors we have yet to encounter?"

For Maggie, anything was better than standing around without knowing that whimpering about things was never going to get them anywhere if they don't try. And now the girls were finished going through the dinosaur exhibit and carefully followed the signs on the walls pointing the way to the exhibit of legendary sea creatures.

* * *

><p>As the girls hurried and walked into the exhibit, they noticed that the walls around them were rather rocky and littered with sea stars, sea shells, corals, and anemones that looked realistic enough to make it feel as if they were really underwater. Somewhere within the exhibit, the girls thought that they could hear the sound of the waves and bubbles. The cows looked at the large waxed figure of what appeared to be a Nessie from Scottish folklore. Rather than be impressed, all three shuddered at the fierce expression and ruby eyes it held. Then they passed by another waxed set labeled as <em>The Giant Squid<em> with fake tentacles attacking a ship. Suddenly, a bunch of bright jellyfish appeared out of nowhere floating down from above. Some were blocking their view while a couple more tried to use static shock on them with the tentacles, only for Maggie to begin pushing and stomping on them.

"Maggie, where did those things come from?" Grace panicked, hiding behind Mrs. Calloway.

"Don't know Grace," Maggie responded, stomping hard on another jellyfish. "But let's get stomping before they multiply!"

Luckily, Maggie had remembered the stone of protection around her neck and tried it out by showing it to an oncoming school of jellyfish heading her way. The stone let out a huge glimmer that turned them to dust. Once a few were defeated, the jellyfish had exploded into small bits of dust. Grace and Mrs. Calloway gave her some help by following her moves. Mrs. C jumped up and landed down to squish a dozen more that were about to get away. After a while, the jellyfish had retreated into the air and disappeared.

"Ha, teach you to mess with fire, jelly foes!" Maggie shouted victoriously.

However, when the girls had been busy battling the jelly fish, something from _The Giant Squid_ set moved about and began to approach them to attack. Only Grace heard a faint sound behind.

She turned around too late and gasped.

"Maggie…look out!" she screamed a second before a large tentacle wrapped around Maggie's body pulling her into the set.

"Maggie!" Grace screamed again, trying to get in to save Maggie, only to get swiped off by another tentacle.

Maggie felt the tight grip from the tentacle increase around her body as if ready to break her ribcage. The tightness even started to cut off her air supply, even as she tried to dig her hooves to the floor in hopes of grabbing onto something. Mrs. Calloway thought quickly and jumped in the set, not wanting to lose Maggie in any way, before she jumped in front of the squid's eyes, turned around and gave those eyes a good kick with her hind legs. The squid closed its eyes in pain, releasing its grip on Maggie for her to make an escape.

Once freed, the girls made a run for it out of the undersea creatures exhibit before the squid recovered, passing through and dodging a touch on other exhibits such as piranhas, angler fish, eels, the Kraken, sea serpents, and especially the jaws and bones of a megalodon being last display set to pass by.

Soon the girls were close to the exhibit known as _Land of the Vikings_, taking a short break from that running after that giant squid encounter.

"Do you think its safe Mrs. C?" Grace whispered behind her.

Mrs. Calloway poked her head out and saw nothing but emptiness and silence in the hallways, yet the squids cries still remained until it faded in seconds.

"Nothing following us girls," she whispered back. "Let's hope it can stay that way. Although I do wonder how on earth that monster came alive."

"Maybe one of us must have accidentally touched it while we were fighting those floating fish," Grace spoke up. "It's possible."

Mrs. Calloway stood back up on her feet. "Well I don't care which one of us touched it. Let's get back to the game before it wakes up again."

"The game wakes up?"

"No Grace, I meant the statue? What else?"

"Willie's tricks again I assume," Maggie piped up. "Five more minutes in that room and we'd be fish food on the menu."

Without any further discussion, the girls entered into _The Land of the Vikings_ exhibit, pretending that they were normal visitors minding their own business while enjoying themselves on a normal day inside a building. The waxed figures in this area were made into warriors in armor with head plates of horns and swords and axes held in their hands. Some sets included Norse Gods such as Odin and the hammer wielding Thor, fierce-eyed, red-haired, and bearded seen riding in a cart pulled by two goats. Like the other two exhibits, each statue display had a description of the figures. All the sets were interesting to view, but no golden crown in sight, so everything in here mattered little to the girls as they continued out of the exhibit safely with no contact in evil spirits.

At the closest end of the hall, the girls hurried toward a staircase below a sign posted on a wall pointing upward to an Egyptian and Greek exhibit into murky shadows. There were no other hallways opening, so the girls took a deep breath, and went up. Each step they took, each breath they breathed…all thrown mockingly back at them from the high old ceilings and peeling white walls. In fear of another live display, the girls quickened their pace to the second story of the museum. There was no choice, really…and with no map of the museum, their next place to search was upstairs. Beneath their heavy weights, the stairs tapped and creaked, unable to remember it ever having taken so long to go up.

Gratefully they reached the second floor without a scratch of trouble.

"We made it," Grace breathed a sigh of relief. "But now which hallway should we try next?" That was when the ruby necklace from around her neck started to shine lightly

"Hmmm, that way," Mrs. Calloway pointed to the left which lead to _Greek Myths_. "And judging by the light from that ruby, we must be getting close by now."

Grace being too scared to sing remained silent when she and her friends entered into the _Greek Myths_ exhibit and kept an eye on the ruby necklace still lighting up. In here were busts of Greek Gods surrounded by poles and a description notice below defining some as Zeus. Then there was Athena the Goddess of War, Apollo, Artemis, Aries, Persephone, Poseidon, Minos, and the Muses.

Walking by, Maggie couldn't help but stare back uncomfortably over her shoulder at the bust statues. _Funny how those hideous statues give me the feeling that one of them might come alive and start breaking out into a song I don't wanna hear_. She thought sarcastically, turning her head straight. _It's a good thing I haven't forgotten not to touch any of them_. _Or else I'd wish I had my earplugs_. She didn't know if Grace's singing would have been unbearable in this situation or from a bunch of busts behind her with those emotionless expressions. Singing Muses? Now what a load of rubbish?

"Hey girls, check out that huge canine over there!" Grace screeched in a high pitch voice that made her two friends jump unexpectedly. "I've never seen anything like this before."

The girls were now close to a display of a large canine statue with three heads instead of one, labeled as Cerberus in the gold plaque. The human statue next to it was named Hades, God of the Underworld with his canine companion as the guardian of the gates.

"Grace, step away from that thing at once," Mrs. Calloway warned, "Who knows what it might do if we touched it. And do keep your voice down."

"Uh right," Grace stepped away from the display and stayed beside her friends, being careful not to touch or break anything.

The next legendary displays of Greek mythology held vase paintings, nymphs, Pegasus, satyrs, centaurs, sea gods, dragons, Achilles, Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus, the foolish Icarus, hypnotic sirens, harpies, the dreaded Hydra inside with Hercules, the Chimera, the Titans, the Cyclops, the half spider Arachne, and the most terrifying female creature of all…Medusa, with serpents for hair, snake-like skin, and an ugly face that made the girls cringe back in fear.

"It's…it's alright you two," Mrs. Calloway insisted, despite her fear. "Just walk on by and pretend it is not in here. After all, it's just a statue…and a hideous one that is. Keep going now"

"Easy for you to say," Maggie whispered back. "Now I know what all museums are like."

"But at least we're almost there…right?" Grace looked down at her necklace again to see that the ruby turned a little brighter than before. "Look at the necklace."

Mrs. Calloway gazed down at the ruby, seeing that Grace was right. "Oh good, we are almost there. But let's not get carried away. There is still the next exhibit in the right hall. Stay alert."

With success, the cows made it out of the exhibit and now followed the right hall pointing to _Egyptian Artifacts_. However for Maggie, she froze in her tracks while watching her two friends move on down the hallway. She didn't know why, but somehow that mischievous side of her was taking over again as she stared back at the statue of Medusa. Sure that ugly creature might have seem frightening, but that didn't stop Maggie from walking back in carefully to have one more look at it to prove to herself that she wasn't afraid of Willie's stupid games…at least not in front of Medusa.

"Hey Ugly, is that a new hairdo?" she taunted, standing before the display. "If I were you, I wouldn't want folks seeing me in public like that. It might turn them into stone…just like you." Maggie snickered in delight, glad to know that she had nothing to fear from an untouched statue. "YIKES!"

"I knew you'd be back in here Maggie! And this time I'm not letting you go!"

It was Mrs. Calloway, yanking Maggie back outside by her bell using her tail, all the way to the right hall before her friend here almost woke up another fiend by accident.

**AN**: _Hello readers. I am so so so so terribly sorry for the long update in any of my stories. Things had been rather and totally hectic at home all because we had been late in replacing the carpets and getting the walls painted that should have been done back in November, explaining why we were so behind in our Christmas decorating which ached me to the bone. Also that explains why I wasn't able to do any spare time to write and stuff. But I'm here now, so again I am so sorry for the long update in this story and everything else. Hopefully I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year. Well on to the story. It looks like Willie's games might get deadly mission after mission for the girls, but it won't stop them from trying. The next chapter will feature the girls now unaware that by approaching their hidden treasure, there will be a creatures' lair. What do I mean? You'll find out. Stay tuned._


	5. Lair of the Red Queen

**Chapter 5: Lair of the Red Queen**

So far there was nothing inside the _Egyptian Artifacts_ exhibit for the ruby necklace to glow any brighter. Still the girls continued onward until there was nothing left for them to search. The next hallway plunged into total darkness and emptiness, but in the first split second, the girls felt more surprise than fear at this rate. Although there was one electric chandelier lit up, it was not enough to penetrate the walls or the floor. Nearly every area in the museum had been dark, but not all the way. Entering, Mrs. Calloway true to her word still kept a firm hold on Maggie's bell, refusing to let her go and allow her to make a bigger mess out of things with her silliness.

Maggie did not bother to resist or refuse to budge, now that she had seen how serious Mrs. C was about never letting her out of their sight for one second. She had given up, seeing now that this was more than just a game. It was a challenge none of them could escape until the very end. Instead she decided to ask a question.

"Hey what was that thing Willie said about a queen in red?"

"Well there is no red queen back in there that's for sure," Mrs. Calloway shrugged. "It must be another statue we won't find in this hallway. And I for one don't like the sound of it."

"Neither do I," Grace agreed. "I've never in my life seen a queen in red, but we still have our secret weapon don't we?"

"If it's enough to get us out of here, it's all we got," Mrs. C answered, unsure of her own words.

_It's alright, there's nothing more to get all jumpy about in this museum_. Maggie thought to herself, stunned and nervous due to the dead silence all around them that gave her another bad feeling of being watched by an invisible force waiting to prey upon them without warning. Then again it could be just her imagination getting to her again. _So whatever you see or hear around you is all in your head. Think of it as the wind or mice in the closet. That should do the trick. Besides what harm could it do_? _And when is Miss Sour Cream gonna let go of me_? _My neck is hurting_. _ I can't think straight like this_. She frowned impatiently, wishing this mission was over right away before another statue woke up…maybe even untouched.

Soon the hallway they had walked through came to a stop in front of a new exhibit called The Ice Age. Inside was a huge mammoth skeleton display with enormous tusks, set in the middle as the walls and floors were painted and designed to look like real ice around the other displays of saber toothed tigers, ground sloths, short face bears, and dire wolves.

"My, those are the largest horns I've ever seen," Maggie whispered harshly, referring to the tusks on the skeleton mammoth, never learning anything about prehistoric creatures in her lifetime.

"Horns…those things?" Mrs. Calloway rolled her eyes. "Horns do not grow from a mouth. That is ridiculous. I do however recall someone mentioning those things as…long teeth."

"I think those long teeth could fall off any minute…look at them," Maggie pointed to how the tusks were lowered nearly halfway to the ground because of the mammoth's lowered neck. "Should we squeeze under it? There is no other way of getting through."

Seeing Maggie's point and knowing the risk of awakening it by one false move, it was their only way across the hall.

"We have to get through," Mrs. C insisted. "Just get down, crawl under, and whatever you do, don't stand up unless we know it's safe."

Mrs. Calloway was the first to walk slowly against the left side of the wall, get down on her stomach, and crawl under the tusks. Maggie and Grace turned away, in fear that she would mess up by accident.

"It's alright you two. You can open your eyes."

The two turned to see that Mrs. C was safely on the other side.

Maggie froze, trying hard to fight off her bad feelings against the skeletal figure that looked like it was staring at her, ready to attack when she least expected it.

"I'll go next Maggie," Grace tried to smile for Maggie, ready to squeeze under herself. "You don't have to look if it'll make you feel nervous."

Maggie saw how Grace prepared to make her move before she could answer her. She hated to have made her two friends go before her like that, no thanks to her cowardly behavior, thinking she should know better than this and take the mission seriously as she did when it came to saving their farm.

"Come on Maggie," Grace snapped her back to attention. "You can do it. Just do what we did and don't stand up."

Maggie nodded, casting aside her fears and got down on her stomach to crawl under the tusks, keeping her eyes away from the skeleton mammoth. The other two watched nervously as she was still coming forward in a slower manner. Both kept silent, not wanting to make her more nervous. The brown cow kept going, refusing to be distracted. And for one insane instant Maggie felt hope leap inside her…actually thinking by now that she was now all the way through below the tusks of the mammoth, her eyes closed tight.

_I can do this, I can do this_. Maggie said in her mind, imagining that she was now halfway through_. I think I'm already through by now. Heck this is as easy as pie_.

"You made it Maggie."

She heard Grace's voice, opening her eyes and glancing over her shoulder to see that she was no longer under the dreadful tusks.

"Hey you're right," Maggie smiled in relief and spoke proudly as she got off the floor. "I knew I could do it. Piece of cake I tell you. What could be worse than this?"

Maggie celebrated too soon distracted with that last sentence the moment she had lifted her right back leg and gave a good hard swift kick…AGAINST THE TUSKS!

Her two friends' mouths dropped open as they stared up at the mammoth skeleton with pale expressions, fearing the worst to come.

"What…is there something on my face?" Maggie turned around and developed the same expression at the sight of the enormous mammoth suddenly stepping out of its display filled her eyes. "Oops." She realized her mistake too late.

The mammoth came to life, blowing its trunk like a real elephant, shaking the ground from the stomps of his feet.

"Girls…this is the time to RUN FOR OUR LIVES!" Mrs. Calloway screamed as she, Maggie, and Grace were making a run for it out of the Ice Age exhibit and into the other. "AND DON'T LOOK BACK!"

The girls' eyes, wild with terror, kept on running and dodging other displays in the exhibit showing pictures of the earth's core. The footsteps and sounds from the mammoth kept coming…one big step at a time…as if it knew its way around each room of the museum. Maggie swallowed a sick taste of fear and guilt, seeing that her clumsiness is getting her and the other two into more trouble. But with something bigger here at stake, this hardly seemed like the time to think about it and should keep her focus on their escape through this hallway tunnel the girls had now entered through. What they hadn't seen was the mammoth pushing his way through almost every exhibit, stomping things, even bringing to life a few waxed monks, cavemen, Neanderthals, druids, jungle cats, snakes, and whatever else it had touched to make the situation worse.

"Hey do I hear the sound of a stampede coming for us?" Maggie shouted with fear.

"Think positive Maggie!" Mrs. C responded, horrified at the sounds behind her, but dared not to look back. "Think positive. There was to be another way out of here!"

"Think positive? I don't know how much longer I can run! We'll never get out of this cursed museum!"

Desperately the girls kept on running, legs numb, clumsy with fear, never wanting to imagine how many statues are chasing after them. Fighting them seemed out of the question. They'd be outnumbered by hundreds more powerful than them. All they knew was they had to escape from the statues and hide in another room.

To their misfortune, there were no other rooms to turn or hide in this hallway, only to come at a dead end.

"Oh that's just great!" Maggie cried. "Now we're trapped with no escape!"

But as difficult and hopeless it might have looked, the girls refused to give up, carefully examining the walls in search of some kind of opening. They could hear the mammoth and the statues still approaching by the minute. Their plastic limbs creaked as they came close, stalking toward the frightened cows.

Feeling hopeless by finding nothing, Maggie banged her head and kicked against the wall, little realizing that her hoof had touched a hidden switch at the bottom. The wall suddenly turned unexpectedly, causing the girls to disappear behind it and close again, leaving nothing for the mammoth and other statues to attack on the other side.

* * *

><p>"Whoa am I bent out of shape or what!" Maggie grunted, moving off the stone brick floor.<p>

Once the girls were able to catch their breath from that experience, they gasped at the sight of this next area which all the walls were made into large bricks, lit up by real lit torches on each side in a row. There were no doors, windows, or turnings. The hallway went straight ahead as different wax statues of riders on horses, princesses, jesters, noblemen, priests, carriages, wizards, witches, and knights stood lifeless on display.

"What room did we fall into this time…the temple of doom?" Maggie said, her legs growing cold from the eerie atmosphere.

"This sure doesn't look that much like an exhibit," Mrs. Calloway muttered, feeling a chill up her spine. "But at least this should give us a break from those beastly statues chasing us."

"I think aside from all the other rooms we've entered," Grace began. "This must be our final location…think about it. Willie said we'd find the crown only in the Hall of Heroes and Legends. This was what he meant. And look…we're closer than ever." She stared down at the ruby necklace that now shined up like the brightest light bulb, with the beam pointing down the hall.

"Grace, you're a genius," Mrs. C congratulated her. "As dangerous as it may seem, we shall follow that light down the hall where our mission comes to a close. Let's go."

"Ouch, watch the neck!" Maggie grumbled in annoyance from the hard tug on her bell.

Mrs. C ignored her as they followed to where the beam pointed. Everything in the Hall of Heroes and Legends seemed nearly gray and colorless like a dull photograph; except for the light of the ruby. It hardly felt like a real exhibit that any visitor would want to walk around through; more like entering a hidden passage where no mortal has ever come out alive. But the girls ignored all dreadful thoughts and kept their focus on the hidden treasure.

Several minutes later the beam ended into a large room which resembled a throne room, with six large mirrors attached beneath the torches. There was no other furniture around besides the large wax figure of a queen in red laces and robe covering a white gown, sitting lifeless on the throne. Her slit narrow eyes remained closed. Long red gloves covered her hands down to her elbows. Her necklace, earrings, rings, and bracelets sparkled with small rubies. In her right hand, she held a golden royal scepter. And on her head sat a dazzling golden crown decorated with several small stones of different colors…where the beam was pointing up to. The girls had found the hidden treasure.

"That's it, that's the crown," Mrs. C whispered, before the girls moved forward slowly and then froze in the tracks, standing before the queen uncomfortably. "Unfortunately, we seem to have found the red queen at the same time."

"Just what Willie warned us about," Maggie said, sneering at the figure without any fear. "Ha, I really don't see what's so dangerous about a lady in rich fashion. That shiny jewelry, that stick in her hand…what harm can this figure do to us?"

Hearing this, a smile crossed Mrs. Calloway's face as she turned to Maggie with a clever idea. "Well Maggie in that case, maybe you should be the one to take the crown off her head. You sound mighty brave enough to handle it."

"What, me get close to that thing?" Maggie was about to take back what she said. "On second thought…" she broke off for a second once Mrs. C glared as if ready to strangle her. Maggie reconsidered quickly and turned to the statue. "…watch and learn."

In hopes that she was right, Maggie remained silent as she stepped closer to the red queen cautiously. Then she froze, standing an inch away from it. This was it. The girls had found their first treasure. Yet there might have been no doubt that Willie would be impressed or furious for finding what he possibly hoped they wouldn't find. Furious would be more likely. Still Maggie looked up at the gold crown, trying to think of a way to remove it without waking the queen. On the contrary, there was not much time to waste so Maggie moved up to the right side of the queen's throne and stood up on her back legs. The other two girls watched nervously once Maggie slowly moved her head closer to use her mouth to snatch the crown.

Suddenly, Grace was starting to have another bad feeling of letting Maggie do this on her own, as she took three steps forward. However, just as Maggie was close to touching the crown, something clutched at her throat, taking her by surprise and causing the other two to scream. It was the hand of the red queen that held on tightly to Maggie, eyes opening to reveal shining red, lifting her up to an enormous strength. The red queen stood up, growing five times larger and taller than her normal size.

"Maggie!" Grace cried out, preparing to come to her rescue. But the red queen had already tossed Maggie aside by the time she now had her eyes on all three of them, standing close together protectively. Maggie was unharmed, yet still in shock from that surprise grasp, coughing.

"That was so uncalled for!" She shouted sarcastically, rubbing her throat. "Would it hurt just to say no…you're majesty?"

It was then that the walls of the throne room slid backwards and transformed into an arena. Uncertain of what was about to happen next, a grim voice spoke from an unseen presence.

_Didn't I warn ya'll to watch out for the red queen? Well now it's time to get things movin' along! _

It announced wickedly with mocking laughter. The girls had no problem recognizing it as the voice of Gold Tooth Willie. There was no sign of him anywhere in the arena. He was invisible, yet somehow watching down on the girls.

_Now that ya'll have found the crown, I guess I forgot to mention that in every level, there's one last encounter to take care of before you leave_.

"Why am I not surprised!" Maggie said matter of factly, annoyed by Willie's presence.

_All yah got to do is find a way to defeat the red queen. We game masters call this last encounter a boss fight! Doesn't that sound like fun to you girls!_

A boss fight? The girls could feel their bones rattling inside while gazing upon the dreaded red glowing eyed queen and her gold scepter. The object in her hand seemed to be stretching and growing up to the size of large club. In a panic, the girls were about to start back to the entrance only to find that it had disappeared, leaving only the wall to cover it.

_Uh oh, looks like escape is inedible for you purty little ladies... as long as the red queen still lives. But while you're at it, I'll give you a hint. She hates mirrors. Have fun!_

Willie's voice turned silent soon after the red queen was advancing on the girls, lifting her large scepter as she came forward.

"Run for it girls!" Mrs. C said desperately to her friends, quickly jumping out of the way before it hit the floor, causing the whole arena to tremble like an earthquake.

"Wha…what do we do now you two?" Grace stuttered, almost losing her balance from the tremor. Once it stopped, Mrs. C answered.

"We run, that's what!"

The girls turned and ran, jumping and avoiding the swings and hammerings of the scepter. They circled around the arena, trying to figure out what Willie meant about the red queen hating mirrors and how to use it against her. Grace, not looking where she was going while looking back, had unexpectedly bumped into one of the mirrors, her head dazed. The red queen froze several feet away, eyes glowing redder and brighter than ever.

"Grace get down!" Maggie shouted to her.

Grace gasped and ducked down once the queen's eyes created an energy beam that shot out to hit its victim. Instead the beam reflected off of the mirror behind Grace and hit the red queen, wrenching a scream for her throat.

"The mirrors!" Maggie cried out in surprise, turning over to Mrs. C with a smile on her face. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Mrs. Calloway smiled back. "I sure am. Let's do it"

"Hey you, Queen Lazy Eye!" Maggie yelled from the other side of the chamber. "Now I know why they call you a royal pain!"

The red queen turned her attention away from Grace and focused on Maggie and Mrs. C by chasing and firing the red beams from her eyes, only to be backfired from every mirror. This gave Grace the advantage to move away, puzzled by why Maggie was getting the red queen to chase after them. She saw how her friend was waving over at the monster as it fired its beams straight. Only Maggie jumped out of the way as the target reflected off another mirror in which the brown cow had been standing in front of. The queen shrieked from the sudden impact, stumbling backward.

"Grace, kick her behind and grab the crown!" Mrs. Calloway shouted over.

"What?" Grace said.

"Just do it!" she yelled back.

"Alright, but I don't like this!" Grace rushed behind the queen and gave good kick from behind, seeing the crown fly off from her head. She had made a high jump for it and caught the crown in her mouth, safely landing back on the floor.

All of a sudden, the girls watched as the red queen writhed for a bit, before dropping onto her knees and keeled over, vanishing out of sight. Not only that, but everything in the arena turned into a grayish color.

That was when the voice of Willie had returned. "Well done girls! Your first task is complete." He congratulated, before he continued. "Come on out now so I can give you your new task. Follow the exit sign and watch your step."

The girls looked to see that an entrance appeared in the wall with a sign labeled exit above. It was never there before.

"Since when did an exit sign appear out of nowhere like that?" Maggie asked, furrowing her brow in suspicion and alert.

"Come on Maggie, it's time to leave this place," Mrs. Calloway nudged beside, ignoring her sentence. "Some questions are better left unanswered."

"Can't argue with that," Maggie agreed, feeling that she'd rather not know too much about this scary world than she might have already had.

Entering the exit room turned out to be similar to entering a tunnel entrance where a train passes through. It took no more than three minutes for the three cows to find themselves back outside where the twisted tree forest had surrounded when they had first entered. Turning around, the girls were taken aback by the sight of the museum in the same grayish color on the outside.

"I thought that you ladies would know by now that all cleared missions means a revisit to the same location is no longer in service. That explains the gray color coverin' the museum."

The girls jumped at that voice and turned around to see Gold Tooth Willie sitting on top of a tree stump, smirking with his arms crossed. He was ready to give them their new mission.

**AN**: _A new chapter updated. I am so so very very very sorry about the long update to one of my stories. Once again I had been busy with my animating which tends to take a lot of time and creating, depending on how long the short is supposed to be. I do hope however that this new chapter made up for the delay, not sure if the boss fight with the queen was one of the things most readers was looking for. I've played enough games like Medievil 1 and 2 in which I seldom had that much trouble with the boss fights and wondered how I would ever put something like this into one of my stories someday. It looks like the girls have finished the first mission in the museum, but the entire game is far from over. Where will he take them now. Find out in the next chapter coming soon, hopefully soon enough._


	6. Down on the Evil Farm

**Chapter 6: Down on the Evil Farm**

Indeed Willie had been waiting for the girls outside patiently without moving the entire time as it seemed. His nasty yellow eyes were expressionless, but his lips were pressed tightly together in the same satisfied smirk. As frightened as they were of Willie, Maggie was the first to walk toward him. Willie said nothing once she got close.

"Um, say…how did you know what was going on with us in that museum?" Maggie asked timidly, hoping to keep herself from trembling. "I mean…you're the expert in this game of Find the Treasure. This whole experience is still quite different for us to handle."

The expression on Willie's face did not change, nor did he blink. He stood stiff, acting like he didn't hear or understood what Maggie was talking about.

Clearing her throat, Maggie continued. "Well…we thought it'd be good to let you know. Frankly I'm not quite certain if that's all you wanted to hear."

"Show me the crown," Willie ordered in a cold tone.

"You heard him Grace," Maggie glanced over her shoulder to face Grace. "Bring him the crown like he asks!"

"Maggie!" Mrs. C scolded.

"No she's right," Grace admitted, moving forward with the crown still in her mouth. "We got to do what Willie asks."

Grace bravely handed Willie the crown of the red queen which he took and inspected. The girls waited calmly for him to respond.

"The crown o' the red queen it sure is," Willie replied. "I'm proud o' you girls." He tucked the crown into his trench coat, later noticing that the girls were whispering to each other about something. He interrupted, "My, is there anything I need to hear in that whisperin' campaign going on?"

"Um there is actually," Maggie swallowed, nervously turning around to face. "Listen Willie…about this second task of more certain death you're putting us in…well, we were kinda wondering if we could…sleep on it…for tonight."

"Sleep on it?" Willie looked as if the girls were telling him to jump off a cliff.

"We're not thinking of quitting the game," Grace stepped up defensively. "It's just that…we haven't had that much sleep recently ever since we entered this world. Even my legs are killing me from all that outrunning inside the museum. Another run like that tonight and I may be out of...luck." Her voice was tired when she spoke. Then she yawned.

Willie stared down at the girls for a moment, and then vanished.

"Wait, where are you going?" Grace shouted, looking around. "What about our request?"

"Ha, there goes Ghoul Boy once again," Maggie snorted. "Leaving us all alone thinking we can handle ourselves in the middle of nowhere. How long does it take to answer a simple question in this place?"

All of a sudden, the girls jumped and shrieked at the sounds of trees moving aside in opposite directions. It had formed into a new road that was never there behind the museum.

_Come on in girls. All questions will be answered in no time_.

Quivering, the tired girls followed the unknown road in hopes of getting some rest as soon as possible. But even through their exhaustion, every step forward made them feel uneasy in struggling to put that horrifying incident inside the museum behind them. All three of them were too tired to complain any further along the boring and uneventful trek by the time they had reached the dusty roads leading to what was soon to be their second mission. The trees in this new set of land grew lesser as the girls could see hayfields and a few creaking windmills in their half closed eyes. Soon the girls came before a large wooden fence that outlined the borders. The gate appeared to be locked. On the right side of the gate stood a small red barn. The outside of it didn't seem all that inviting in the poor condition it was in with that peeled off paint and wood.

A chill wind blew behind the girls while they were pondering on whether to explore the barn or wait for Willie to appear. The closer they got, the barn doors burst open by themselves, causing them to move backwards in alarm.

"What's wrong? I thought you girls said you wanted to sleep on it tonight."

Willie appeared behind them the same way he did at the museum level. Already he was starting to get on Maggie's nerves with that disappearing act, but she managed to keep calm and instead wanted to ask him about the red barn.

"We do. But does that mean…?"

"I thought it all over while the three o' you were on your way here," Willie interrupted, eyes flashing. "As much as I hate grantin' a request like this in the middle of a game, I reckon it may not be all that amusin' to see any o' you movin' all slow and about in the farmlands where your next mission lies. After all, it could take all the fun outta the games."

The girls stared back at the barn feeling almost uncertain about entering, worried that it might be a trick or something that Willie was planning for them. Inside there were three white mattresses instead of hay. However, they were still tired after all and were no longer in the mood to argue or back out.

"Wait don't tell me," Mrs. Calloway said sleepily. "That barn must be the place where we sleep tonight…isn't it."

"Why else would I show it to you for?" Willie asked impatiently tapping his foot, spurs clinking. "A tourist attraction? If you wanna go to sleep, go right on in."

Reluctantly, the girls stepped in the barn cautiously, despite their fears and doubts about it. The three mattresses were inside three stalls apparently. It felt rather odd for those human objects to be placed inside a barn where only animals sleep. Still if it meant getting a good night sleep, if not in a world like this, this was it for them.

"Sure I would not call this here barn one hundred percent suitable for you ladies," Willie joked, crossing his arms. "But it sure ain't a hunk o' junk I can assure you." He tapped lightly on the wooden walls, clearing his throat to finish up. "As I was sayin' to you ladies, I'm givin' ya'll seven hours to catch some shut eye here." He pointed to his pocket watch. "While you're in here, the doors will be locked up good n' tight. That way you don't go roamin' out in the woods tonight where the trees might eat yah alive. Until your restin' hours are over, I'll be seein' you lovely ladies in the mornin'…if it's there."

The girls' eyes flashed to Willie, his back turned as he prepared to leave to leave the barn. He was going to lock them up like prisoners! But what if that part with the trees he mentioned was true? Or what if he was trying to scare them into continuing the game with no further requests? Grace drew closer to Mrs. C, pressing against her side, gone cold and shaky. Maggie on the other hand felt there was something else this ghoulish cowboy was not telling them, and quickly stepped forward trying to get another answer out of Willie. But unexpectedly, Willie pulled out a revolver, turned around and pointed it onto Maggie's forehead.

Willie shot her a warning glance, gnashing his rotted teeth. "Don't even try!"

Maggie swallowed fearfully, panic filled her and she would have been dead meat if she hadn't backed away and marched over to where her two friends were already getting themselves on the mattresses. Willie put the revolver away and made it outside. Once he stopped walking, he turned around to face the girls so cunning, so ghostly, and so forbidding.

"It's all right now!" He called out to them. "I'll be out here waitin' till mornin'. But be warned, any attempt at escape from the barn, and you're mine. Pleasant dreams now."

The doors to the barn shut swiftly by themselves, locking up. It was one thing to be in the barn back in their own home, shut locked to keep out intruders. But in this world, they were trapped with no way out, except to finish the creepy game they had no choice but to accept.

"You heard him, you two," Mrs. C whispered cautiously. "No talking, no running amuck, no moving, and no singing." She looked at Grace firmly.

"Um, goodnight Mrs. C," Grace said nervously, trying to sleep on the mattress. "Goodnight Maggie."

"Sleep well Grace," Maggie sighed sadly as she lay on the mattress to get comfortable. "And don't you worry; I'll get us out of this mess…somehow. One way or another, I promise."

Maggie could hear her two friends had gone into silent mode in several seconds, except for the sound of their breathing as they slept. All three of them were too scared to talk any longer to a point where they thought that silence would save them from danger tonight. Thinking back on how this all started, Maggie could no longer deny that she and her friends would not be here if she hadn't made a mockery on Willie's tombstone which was enough to open the portal. Truth is that she never meant for it to happen, thinking she was only kidding around to prove what was real and what was fake. She would never forgive herself for this if she and her friends failed and met their demise at whatever mission Willie offers them. And worse, if they failed and Pearl was still wondering what happened to her girls, she would never know that they're trapped in a world beyond their own, held against their will by an undead outlaw.

_Alright I admit it; I made a very stupid mistake up there_. Maggie found herself debating with her troubled and scared mind. _I never should've tampered with that stupid headstone to begin with, even when I wanted to prove a point between fact and fiction_. _But most of all, I'll never know what gave me the idea that we should take a shortcut around Patch of Heaven, only to end up at the graveyard. This is all my fault_. _Calloway was right_. _But I didn't listen; now we're trapped here till death do us part_. For Maggie, getting to sleep was a bit complicated from all that thinking, spending the first few minutes tossing and turning. Eventually she was able to sleep and not let the bad thoughts bother her, for even though she did not know yet how she and her friends would get out of this; this was not the time to give up too soon. _I'll get my friends out of this mess. We finished our first task, didn't we? One down, nine more to go. I know we'll make it_.

Far from the barn, the girls never noticed Gold Tooth Willie standing several feet from them by the wooden fence entrance, never taking his attention off them. He had no need to rest, being already dead for no more than fifty years…or less as far as he could remember. Being dead for so long made him forget how long it's been since he wandered throughout this world, waiting to challenge mortals. While he waited patiently until dawn for the girls to wake up, Willie used this time to talk in secret to several entities that only he could see, grinning wolfishly to them as he gave orders on what to do.

* * *

><p><em><span>Next morning<span>_

The red orange sun shone brightly, yet eerily that morning behind the black clouds over the entire farm valley, casting many shadows. The girls were still asleep on the mattresses comfortably after such a hard night. In their dreams, all three of them had hoped that once they awoke the next morning, they would be back in their normal stalls inside Patch of Heaven. But little did they realize that their next mission in the farm level was about to begin, meaning the game was far from over. The doors to the barn suddenly burst open with the wind blowing in, startling the girls wide awake. Willie was standing outside, waiting for their attention.

"Time's up ladies!" Willie thundered. "Get outta those beds and come with me!"

Disappointed, the girls had no choice but to do as Willie says once they walked out of the barn and followed up to the entrance at the wooden gates. It looked as if their secret wish did not work at all and this world they were in was real. Willie turned around and flicked on a cigarette lighter.

"Before we get started," he announced, holding up the lighter. "I got a few new rules to go over. First rule will be to stay on the tracks with no shortcuts. Second, no pit stops till the mission here is over. And third, do not under any circumstances linger throughout the pumpkin patch or the cornfields. Those forbidden lands spell instant death!" Willie finished, obviously pleased with himself for seeing the fearful expressions of the girls' faces.

"Enough with the rules for now," He went on, clicking off the lighter. "Here is my clue for this next level: beyond the last windmill, up there stands the tallest hill overlookin' the whole valley. And on that hill, there's only one lantern painted in silver, locked inside the barn. But beware and be warned, before yah get that far, you'll be needin' to cross the fields guarded by the creature known as the Harvester. He'll be expectin' ya'll."

Finished, Willie vanished out of sight, leaving only his deranged laughter to be heard in the air. The gates opened up so the girls would enter inside the rest of the farm valley waiting for them. Once all three were inside, the gates closed by themselves. But rather than jump at the sound, the girls began to move forward on the first path where a dozen crops were fenced off and out of reach for them to try and eat. It was at this rate that the girls were feeling rather hungry, but couldn't decide where to look for the right kind of food. Nor could any of them spot anything fresh out of the ground, in the trees, or in the fields. Everything appeared to be dry. And Maggie's stomach would not stop rumbling.

"Maggie, would it hurt to keep that stomach of yours from talking all day?" Mrs. Calloway grumbled. "You're making me…I mean Grace nervous."

"What me?" Grace looked at Mrs. C in confusion.

"Don't tell me you're not hungry after such a long night in Nightmare Land," Maggie replied. "There's gotta be something to eat around this place. I could eat a whole corn cob or an apple."

"Look girls, there's the hourglass up ahead!" Grace pointed straight. "Let's go."

The girls followed straight until they stopped in front of the hourglass sitting atop a large stump right next to a wooden sign waiting to be read:

_Welcome to the Fields of Lost Souls, home to the Harvester that dwells within the crops of Corn Starch Hill. Here you will encounter live scarecrows that will try to stop you at all costs. To stop them for good, try removing their heads and throwing them back into the fields. Be sure to avoid getting pecked at by the crows that fly around to guard the scarecrows and always carry a light with you to drive them off. That is all for now. Yet you should find other signs along the way for more information. Go right on in, if you dare_.

Once the girls finished reading the first sign, three pails of wheat, carrots, and corn appeared magically by surprise as if something out there was reading their minds to know what they needed.

"Good, am I starving," said Maggie, hungrily going for the middle bucket. But she was yanked backwards by her tail. She turned to find that Mrs. Calloway used her teeth to stop her. Aggravated, she yelled. "Hey, what gives? I need food!"

"Maggie, haven't you heard of look before you leap?" Mrs. Calloway asked sharply.

"What?" Maggie stared at Mrs. C dumfounded by her question.

"First things first my dear," Mrs. C moved toward the right bucket. "Watch and learn."

The proper cow leaned cautiously toward the food, sniffing all three and giving each a light kick. The vegetables and hay seemed quite fresh without a doubt, but Mrs. C wanted to make sure nothing about this so-called magic food was poisonous or alive.

Finished, she finally replied, "All clear, so dig in you…"

Her voice trailed off when she saw that Maggie and Grace already had their heads dunked inside the buckets, chewing and chomping greedily. She sighed, shrugging her shoulders and joined in.

After they were finished, the girls moved passed the first sign down the road, following the map on where to go first. Walking by a couple of deserted farm houses, a lone scarecrow turned toward the three strangers in the distance, watching with eerie glowing eyes and chuckling in a wicked manner.

Grace froze in her tracks, glancing over her shoulder. "What was that?" she gasped.

"Not now Grace, stay close to us," Mrs. Calloway said.

Grace stayed close to her two friends, hoping to feel better protected as long as she didn't slow down far behind. She tried to stay brave and focused on their mission item of the silver lantern, yet couldn't help feeling frightened of the darkness and shadowy shapes in every corner out in the fields. Those scarecrows out there were creepy enough to give her an uneasy feeling that they were watching them. If that's what they were truly doing, it was better to stay alert now that they were in their second mission.

"Try not to look back Grace," Mrs. C advised. "Even if we were to encounter those silly scarecrows, how tough can they be to deal with?"

"Yeah," Maggie insisted. "Who's afraid of a bunch of dummies that do nothing but hang from a boring stick all day? Why do they even call them scarecrows?"

That was when it all happened once Grace, startled by a sound, turned to look behind her: three ugly scarecrows jumped from the field, staring at her with those evil yellow eyes. Below their eyes, they had stitched up mouths.

"Girls, watch out!" Grace shrieked. "Scarecrow attack!"

The girls dodged the scarecrows after they were spinning their way with their arms whipping out. Maggie turned to keep tabs on them, but it was wasted when one of the evil straw men managed to trip her from behind. Grace was screaming while being chased by another scarecrow until she bumped into Maggie and slipped and fell on her bottom. It didn't take long for Mrs. Calloway to fall beside her two companions. Soon the three scarecrows spiraled around the girls, still spinning their bodies.

"I'm feeling awfully dizzy now girls," Grace said dizzily.

"That's it!" Maggie stood up, putting her fears aside as she stared fiercely at the enemies of this second level. "Time to kick some scarecrow hide!"

Maggie jumped out and caught one of the scarecrows by the pole with her teeth. With all her strength, she started to use him as a club against the last two scarecrows, which was enough to knock them down helplessly on the ground. Finally, she let go of the one she held, tossing it down like a giant toothpick.

"Hurry, go for the heads!" she shouted to her friends.

Altogether, the girls were able to move quickly and easily tear off the heads of the scarecrows that were nothing more than sack filled bags with straw inside. Tossing them far into the fields, they turned to find that the scarecrows had turned to dust and disappeared.

"Hah, teach you to mess with the Bovine Trio!" Maggie snapped.

"Wow Maggie, I never saw you do anything like that," said Grace, quite impressed.

Maggie responded, "Well those men on sticks were getting on my nerves. I had to do something."

"Good, now its best we get going before they come back," Mrs. Calloway whispered carefully. "Come on, we might not have much time."

Taking Mrs. C's advice, the girls continued on the trek, having no fear anymore of those silly scarecrows. Although those creatures were easy to take on, there was no telling what other horrible creatures might be tougher to handle. And the girls would know when to run if there were ever too many.

A couple of minutes had passed since their first encounter with the scarecrows. The girls had now come all the way through the scarecrow fields and were recently about to enter what appeared to be a cotton field with human workers picking at the cotton bushes. At first the girls were alarmed by the sight of the workers due to their unnatural bluish skin color and pale yellow eyes. All of them wore sweatshirts and black tattered overalls. However, these creatures were not the least bit interested in the girls' visitation as they continued on with their work, acting like it was nothing more than a normal day. But friend or foe, there was only one way for the girls to find out.

"That's weird," Maggie spoke in confusion. "These guys should be trying to attack us by now. What gives?"

"You want to try provoking them to find out?" Mrs. C smirked.

"Let me give it a try," Grace suggested. "Maybe it's possible that not everything we see is an enemy to run from." Grace moved toward a worker that was busy picking cotton to place in a basket. Taking a deep breath, she asked him nervously. "Uh…howdy there mister. Can you help us?"

"Yeah?" The man turned around, staring hard at Grace.

Grace gasped, falling backward when she became frightened of his ghoulish face. His bluish face was nearly skeletal. With those bulging yellow eyes and crooked teeth, it made Grace feel rather queasy and thinking that this was not a good idea.

She stuttered fearfully. "I…that is…I mean we…"

"OUT WITH IT, stranger!" The man went back to his work. "Ain't got no time for chitchat, you know."

Grace responded. "We're sorry to interrupt your work mister. But we just wanted to ask you about the place over at Corn Starch Hill."

"You mean the hills of the Harvester?" a twinge of worry stained the man's words.

"Yes sir," said Grace. "We need to get there in order to find the silver lantern Willie told us about."

"I don't know o' any lantern made o' silver," the man griped. "And I dare not go near those hills you're talkin' about. Sorry I can't help you ladies. You best better stay away from the Harvester. I met him once, and it was a sorry end to me. Now I'm trapped here for all eternity, pickin' at cotton that just keeps on growin'."

Grace was stunned. "What?"

"You heard me!" He growled. "These missions you're dealin' with ain't no fun n' games. No one has ever won before in Willie's games. That man is mighty crafty. I dare say no more or else I'll be in for it. So best be on your way."

Maggie stepped up beside Grace. "Wait just a darn minute pal! What do you know about Willie's games that we don't?"

"I told you missy," the man replied. "I dare not say no more out here while you're still playin'. Willie might be listenin' real closely by now." He turned his head left and right before he finally whispered to them carefully. "But if you're insistant, I can give you advice on how to get to Corn Starch Hill. Listen carefully to what I need to tell you."

The girls gathered around him as he whispered in a hushed tone for several seconds, pointing directions on the map and what routes to avoid. Finished, the girls thanked him for his help and were on their way down the next road on the right.

"Good luck ladies!" the man called out to them. He went back to picking out cotton, endlessly and for all eternity as he mentioned before.

* * *

><p>Exiting the cotton fields, Grace couldn't help but feel rather troubled and suspicious about the man's words when he mentioned something secretive about Willie's games. There had to be something that Willie had not been telling them from the beginning and Grace was thinking that they should ask him once this level was over. She kept this thought of hers to herself, not wanting to trouble her friends with further terrible thoughts.<p>

Moving down a hill, the girls found that they were coming toward a farm house with a red barn on the right. The barn looked to be more than fifty years old in peeled paint and broken wood boards. There were no lights on inside the house, meaning either the owner was asleep or that no one was living there. There was no lock on the gate, leaving it open for the girls to enter. But first there was a sign on the left which read: _You are on the property of Big Bill's Farm. Keep out or my pets will eat you alive_.

Grace felt herself turn chicken at the moment once hearing the last sentence. As scared as Maggie and Mrs. C were about what else was inside, this was the one was only road to walk through on their way to Corn Starch Hill. None of them tried knocking on the door to see if the owner was home, having more important matters to deal with.

"Hey girls, there's a key on the haystack," Grace pointed to a pile of haystack where she and her friends saw that there was a copper key laying by itself on top. "Maybe it opens a door or something"

"Sure, why not," Maggie shrugged. "We might need it."

Grace picked up the key with her mouth and then carried it with her tail. Just when they were about to leave, there was a strange roar coming from inside the barn. The doors burst open, revealing a giant tractor combine. Blades whirling, it lunged at them.

**AN**: _Hello fellow readers. Listen, I am so terribly sorry that I have not updated anything for a while since last June. I had been struggling with anxiety and emotional issues that I had a hard time trying to overcome. Rather than go into full detail, I will only say that I am now taking medication and vitamins to keep it under control. But that's not the only reason for my absence. I was again distracted with my art projects, and had a real busy time with Halloween and Christmas. So even though it is not Halloween anymore, that is not going to stop me from doing what I need to do to finish up this story as well as the others. All I can say is that I'll do everything I can to upload the next couple of chapters. I know that there may not be that much action in this chapter at the moment, but the next one will include more as the girls reach the boss of this level. Stay tuned for more. Oh and I want to credit my friend Yamimakai3 for helping me with future ideas for this story._


	7. The Harvester

**Chapter 7: The Harvester**

"Run girls!" Grace screamed, dashing off on the trek with her friends following.

Riding on top of the tractor combine was a plump, evil looking farmer, brandishing a pitchfork he used to point at the girls still making a run for it.

"What is chasing us in that machine?" Mrs. Calloway hollered.

"I don't know and I don't wanna find out what!" Maggie hollered back.

"Less talk, more running you two!" Grace shouted, keeping a firm hold on the key.

There was no time to think about what that thing was or how it knew of their presence. This was now the time for them to make a run for it, dodging rocks and jumping over holes and logs. Their running came to an end once they skid to a halt in front of a gate with a large lock.

"The key, Grace!" Maggie shouted. "Use the key!"

With the machine about to close in, Grace quickly used the key on the lock, opening the gate as they all were able to make it through just in time and lock the gate again. With the tractor combine trapped on the other side, the undead farmer cursed at the girls as he watched them race back onto the open road as fast as their legs could carry them.

"Whoa!" Maggie said in between breaths. "I don't think I've ever run that fast before in my life!"

"I hope we never see him again," agreed Mrs. Calloway, breathing hard. "Whatever that thing is, he sure could use a good night sleep."

* * *

><p>The next road ahead lead to a working windmill. The blades of the windmill were spinning…except with the way it was set up. The blades were actually spinning across the road like giant sharp knives.<p>

"Oh isn't that just great," Maggie cursed. "How are we gonna pass through that thing now?"

"Get a grip Maggie!" Mrs. C said sharply. "See that blade up there?"

The girls looked carefully to see that one of the blades was broken all the way.

"If we could time it perfectly, I'm certain that we can jump through the windmill quickly before the rest of the blades catch us."

"Aha, good thinking Calloway," Maggie wanted to give her a pat on the back if she could. "But who goes in first?"

"Mrs. C turned to look at her friends. "I'll do it. Wait here until I call for you two."

Maggie and Grace stared timidly when Mrs. Calloway got closer to the windmill, waiting for the first three to pass by.

"I can't bear to watch," Grace whimpered, turning her head away. "Tell me when it's over."

"It's alright Grace!" Mrs. Calloway called out. "I'm right over here, see!"

Both of them saw Mrs. Calloway safely on the other side of the road without a single scratch.

"Time it carefully and wait for the three blades to pass! But do it quickly!"

It still seemed awfully dangerous to brave and pass through, even for Grace. But she volunteered to go before Maggie, remembering that she was a fast runner after all. Following Mrs. C's warning, she timed the movement as carefully as she could and succeeded at passing through. It was Maggie's turn to give it a go without arguments. The sight of the large blades shook her timidly, but she kept her eyes on the broken blade carefully.

_Relax cowgirl_. She thought to herself. _Don't think too much about those three blades, just go for the hole_.

"Come on Maggie!" Grace's cry broke her out of her thoughts. "You can do it! Don't look up, just look at us!"

With one last timing, Maggie made a run for it, never looking back after she made it back to where her friends were standing.

"You did it Maggie!" Grace cried in joy. "You made it!"

Maggie looked back to see the blades still turning, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Well that wasn't so bad," Maggie admitted. "Now where to Mrs. C?"

Mrs. C studied the map for a second, and answered. "It appears that our next stop would be walking through this area known as the…Fields of Terror."

Grace swallowed hard in fear, not wanting to know anymore. The same went for Maggie who only stared at her friend in silence. Still, if that was where they needed to go, Mrs. C led the way in following the next road before them. In the next area, there were golden hayfields nearby scattered about.

"What the hay is all this?" Maggie joked, trying to keep her fear at a low level. "Hay, get it."

Grace laughed weakly. "That's a good one Maggie."

"Speaking of hay, I sure could go for a snack right now," Maggie was moving toward one of the haystacks close by. "Excuse me for a moment."

Mrs. C was about to decline as she saw how Maggie was about to take a bite. She was right to be alert by the sudden shivering movement of the haystack. The girls jumped back in alarm when a plump evil green skinned man popped out, brandishing a pitchfork.

"Oops, we're sorry," Maggie apologized. "Was that your home we almost ate?"

The undead creature growled and slashed at the intruders in front of him. But the girls were able to dodge this move of his. With the power stone of protection still around her neck, Maggie was able to use it against the creature. To her surprise, her eyes widened when it caught on fire and turned to dust within seconds.

The girls couldn't believe their eyes at what that crystal did. If it could easily drive off those creatures, maybe it would work best against all other undead creatures in the rest of this level. Looking ahead at the rest of the haystacks, the girls knew just what to do. Usually it wasn't in their nature to kill or destroy anything in the land of the living, knowing how terribly wrong it was. But in this case, these creatures were nowhere near innocent or living. There was no doubt that other undead pitchfork carriers waited in ambush for them, so with the stone of protection, all haystacks were set ablaze one by one, destroying the rest of the horrid creatures until there was nothing left but dust.

After the creatures' demise, the girls stood for a while, staring in awe at the sight of the burning haystacks.

"I can't believe it," Grace muttered timidly. "What have we done?"

"We did what we had to do Grace," Maggie answered firmly. "Think about it. Those guys weren't even alive to begin with. Do real people try to eat you like that?"

"No, unless they were sick with an incurable disease."

"A horrible way to die it was indeed," Mrs. Calloway piped in. "But I must agree with Maggie here, it was either them or us. Remember that Grace. As long as we're stuck in here, remember that."

Grace could only nod her head in response, understanding how right her friends were. Whatever else those creatures were, they were indeed nowhere near being human. After leaving the haystack area, the girls were on their way to the Fields of Terror, where they were greeted by a flight of nasty crows to pick their sharp beaks at them. Yet fighting them off was a piece of cake when Maggie swung the crystal widely until all the crows flew off out of sight. Before the entrance of the vast cornfield, the girls stopped at another sign and became aghast at what it said: _Beware of those that infest the Fields of Terror. Unspeakable nightmares wait from within. Stay on the trek in between and do not under any circumstances slouch in the fields_.

As if to add emphasis, a scarecrow from above dived down on the girls, but instead flew inside the corn where the girls heard screeching, which they guess was the horrid sound of death. All three of them cringed as to what might have happened if it was them instead of the crow.

"And to think that might have been us if we were in there," Grace proclaimed.

Putting that behind them, the girls continued walking through the trek and spotted some kind of object up ahead that caught their interest; another key on a stump.

"Look you two, another key," Maggie pointed out.

The girls moved their way to the stump to grab the key and see what it would unlock next. But when Maggie had her hoof only an inch away from the object, she felt the tip of her tail had been grabbed and she was suddenly pulled inside the cornfield by an unseen force.

"Maggie, no!" Grace screamed in fright. "COME BACK! BRING HER BACK YOU BEAST!"

"Grace, don't do it!" screamed Mrs. C.

She was jumped on by Mrs. Calloway just when she was about to jump in those deadly fields without even thinking. Grace struggled and kicked wildly from below.

"LET GO OF ME!" She hollered. "MAGGIE'S IN TROUBLE. WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING MRS. C!"

"IF WE STEP ONE FOOT IN THERE, WE'LL BE DEAD MEAT AS WELL!" Mrs. Calloway shouted back. "I CAN'T LET YOU RISK IT!"

Mrs. C and Grace stared in horror and sorrow, believing that there was nothing they could do for Maggie in those deadly fields.

What the two girls didn't know however was that once Maggie got pulled inside the fields, she was not exactly as annihilated instantly as they had feared she would be. Whatever was dragging her through, Maggie did not know, but guessed that it was vines that brought her here. She could feel her whole body being snagged and scratched by twigs from the ground, barely noticing her state of panic. She screamed in horror, swatting and kicking at whatever else might have pulled her through the cornstalks in vain. The pain of the rocks and twigs hitting her body was so unbearable that she almost didn't notice that she was actually being yanked a sinister being, which grinned hideously at her, opening it's "mouth" in anticipation. Her eyes bugged from her head as the unseen force pulled her close to the spirit.

* * *

><p>Back outside the deadly fields, Grace and Mrs. C had refused to leave their spot, mourning for the loss of their friend in silence.<p>

"Oh Maggie," Grace muttered sadly. "How can we go on without you?"

"What more can we do Grace?" Mrs. C responded sorrowfully. "We can't give up. Maggie wouldn't want us to quit too soon."

"Suppose we won't make it before the last mission?"

Before Mrs. C would reply, the two heard another rustle in the deadly cornfields which caused them to jolt back in fear, thinking that the same force had come back for them as it did for Maggie and were preparing to make a run for it.

"Hey wait for me why don't you!" a voice called out from behind them. They turned to find that it was Maggie, alive and safe, escaping only to be covered with dirt stains.

"Maggie, you're alive!" Grace cried.

The two rushed happily to their friend, not knowing how she had survived in that field, but were too relieved of her survival to think about it.

"What on earth happened in there Maggie?" Mrs. C chuckled. "We thought you were a goner."

"So did I," Maggie responded. "But I'm here now so let's not talk about it. We gotta get going."

With everything settled, it was time to move on. Grace held the next key with her tail safely, hoping that she wouldn't lose it. To Mrs. C, there was still something quite odd about Maggie's survival in the deadly cornfields where she would just pop out of that place without being dead in an instant like that other crow that attacked them. Perhaps it was a coincidence, or maybe there was more to it. She did not know. That was why she kept her eyes on Maggie, noticing the strange smile on her face that almost started to creep her out.

Her suspicions about Maggie were about to be revealed by the time the girls stopped in front of a forked path on the road with a big sign pointing left and right. The sign on the left pointed to Corn Starch Hill while the right sign pointed to the Vegetable Garden.

"Look, we're almost there you two," said Mrs. C, looking to the left path. "All we have to do is…"

Turning around, she was cut short to see that Maggie had instead followed the opposite path to the vegetable garden without even listening to what her friends were talking about.

"Maggie, come back here!" Mrs. Calloway demanded. "You're going the wrong way. Corn Starch Hill is this way! Come back here this instant!"

The two girls followed their friend into the opposite path, unsure of why she would take off like that. They found her of course, but not the way they expected. She was munching and snacking on crops that she picked from the garden.

"What are you doing?" Grace cried nervously, now feeling that something was wrong with Maggie. "We're supposed to be at the other end, not this way!"

Maggie didn't answer. She just kept on eating away at the crops.

"Earth to Maggie!" Mrs. Calloway shouted, irritated. "This is no time for a snack. We have a game to finish, you were almost annihilated, and you're thinking with your stomach again?" There was still no answer from Maggie, and Mrs. Calloway repeated, "Maggie, what's come over you?"

All of a sudden, the two cows could hear her munching and crunching coming off in a non-animal manner that became nauseating to listen to. Both of them stepped closer to their friend slowly. Step by step, Grace took a quick glance at the crops that Maggie was eating. It was vegetables, but the most frightening and shocking sight was that these crops were crawling and infested with…_bugs_! That would explain all the crunching going on. Maggie was eating bugs!

Both of them could see a few bugs drop off the ground from her mouth, including bitten off halves of insect legs and wings. Then came an evil chuckle from Maggie, although her voice did not sound like her own.

"Maggie, are you alright?" Grace said, scared and worried.

Finally, words came out of Maggie's mouth. "What's the matter girls? Don't like the taste of…" she turned around, laughing evilly, her face was deathly pale, and her eyes were yellow and glowing. "…BUGS!" her voice seemed to be distorted and deeper as she spoke, and her mouth was dripping and drooling with bugs.

Her two friends gasped, jumping back in total fear. The thing in front of them was not Maggie. It looked like her, but it was not her at all. And if it wasn't her, there was only one thing for them to do. And that was to run!

Grace and Mrs. C sprinted blindly out of the vegetable garden and back up the trail to the forked path, screaming for help, or just screaming in general depending on one moment to the next. They ceased screaming when their voices became hoarse, taking the path up to Corn Starch Hill, still running and dodging other undead farm animals that jumped out and were now chasing after the girls.

Grace couldn't take any more of what happened recently and turned to Mrs. Calloway. "What could have happened to Maggie back there Mrs. C?"

"I have no idea Grace!" Mrs. C shouted back. "Just don't even think of fighting through that many enemies! After this mission is over, we're going to have a firm talk with Willie about bringing Maggie back!" Mrs. C felt unsure, but she could see that their own terror at the situation was forcing them to realize that nothing more could be done until they defeated the Harvester, even without Maggie. Miraculously there was another locked gate up ahead in which Grace used the second key on. The girls raced through, then slammed it shut after them. Seconds later, with a loud crash, the zombie animals hurled themselves against the gate and fell away.

The two girls heaved a sigh of relief, their hearts beating furiously. It pained them to move on to Corn Starch Hill without their friend, but they knew there was no other choice to make. As horrible as it turned out to be with Maggie being possessed, Mrs. C refused to believe that she was gone for good and that there was still a way to snap her out of it before she dared to eat her own friends as well.

"You…you horrible vile beast!" Mrs. Calloway yelled, angrily in hopes that Willie was listening somewhere wherever he was. "WE'RE NOT AFRAID OF YOU!"

But she noticed Grace sitting on the floor, on her hind legs and close to crying.

"Grace please," Mrs. Calloway said softly. "We can't quit now. We're almost there."

"I…I can't do it Mrs. C," Grace choked. "It's all too much. We'll never see Maggie again."

Mrs. C frowned and stood in front of Grace, looking into her eyes, and said, "Now you listen to me Grace, look at me while I'm talking! Stop saying we'll never get out because we will! Just because Maggie isn't with us doesn't mean we should give up. Why, because that's what Willie wants us to do. Think about how Maggie would feel if she saw you like this. She'd be devastated. Wherever Maggie is, she's counting on us to finish this task and to get back home! So I don't want to hear another word about never getting out of here. It's all up to us for now, so no more self-pity you hear? Get that ruby necklace ready!" Then Mrs. C added, glaring darkly at the tallest hill in the valley up ahead. "We have a silver lantern to find."

Grace nodded, and smiled. Soon they were on their way to enter the boss fight.

* * *

><p>Forgetting about the incident with the zombie farm animals, Grace and Mrs. Calloway were finally at the heart of the fields within Corn Starch Hill. Chills began to creep down their spines as both of them recalled Willie's clue message before the second mission started, sensing that the Harvester would be expecting them. At the top of the tallest hill in the valley was the barn. The ruby necklace around Grace's neck had been shining brighter and brighter the closer they walked. The second key, found before in the Fields of Terror, was used to unlock the gate leading into a large arena where they followed the red beam from the necklace pointing upward at the barn.<p>

Peering down from the tallest hilltop in the entire valley, a creature watched it all, expecting them from the very beginning as promised by a ghoulish outlaw. Although it had been expecting three visitors entering his domain, it didn't matter as long as it meant fresh souls to collect for itself.

It waited until the two visitors were in the arena. In an instant like lightening, a great scarecrow like monster jumped all the way from the hilltop to the arena, its face resembling a skeleton. The creature had an enormous hunchback, wearing a black pointed crooked hat, having legs unlike the average scarecrows they encountered. White fangs snarled in its mouth. In his bony stick-like fingers, the creature held onto a large scythe.

The two girls backed up, only to find that the openings had been sealed off by magic. This monster appeared to be creepier than the Red Queen from the museum level.

_You made it already? I'm quite impressed with you ladies. By the way, looks like you've managed to awaken the Harvester here_!

The voice of Willie broke out, to which the girls stayed alert by keeping their eyes on the Harvester.

_Welcome to the second boss fight of the games. To defeat the Harvester, you'll need to find his weak spot in the back of his head. But can you reach it that easily? Only one way to find out, good luck_!

Hearing his voice disappear, the two girls shook like crazy as the Harvester leaped at them screeching its terrible cry. Two more times it pounced, but Grace and Mrs. C were able to scramble out of the way. While running from the creature and dodging the scythe, Grace screamed, "Listen Mr. Harvester, you don't seem all that bad to me in my opinion. Don't you wish to reason with us first before you use that thing you're holding?"

The Harvester jumped to the middle of the arena, raising the scythe in the air as it called upon a flock of crows from the sky. The girls ran around the arena as they were chased by the crows, having their bodies and faces pecked at. If it weren't for this much, they would have been able to fight them off easily. Frantic screams and grunts were all they could muster at this time, several seconds before the crows disappeared altogether. When that was over, Grace charged the beast from behind, but bounced backward.

The Harvester cackled as it picked up Grace by the neck and swiped her towards the other end of the arena.

"Grace!" Mrs. Calloway screamed, rushing to her side.

As Grace shook the stars from her head, she and Mrs. C saw the Harvester rear one of its hands back, with one quick wave, a volley of sharp wooden stakes came at them. Grace scrambled herself up as she pushed Mrs. C out of the way in which the stakes hit the ground instead. The Harvester jumped at them in hopes of crushing his opponents, only to have missed.

"He's too heavy to knock down Mrs. C!" Grace cried. "How will we know when to...?"

The creature then slowly raised his scythe above the girls, which actually gave them time to move out of the way. Seeing how he was struggling to lift his weapon out of the ground, the girls saw his black hat slip upward, revealing a sore red spot.

"There, that's it," Grace murmured, hoping that's the weak spot. While the Harvester was still trying to get his weapon unstuck, Grace used this moment to jump up and kick the back of its head with her hind legs. The sore spot flashed, and the creature growled in irritation. Two more kicks followed, dealing more pain.

Eventually, the Harvester finally pulled his scythe out and raised it up high to call upon the crows from the sky again to attack the girls.

"OH NO NOT AGAIN!" Grace moaned, preparing for the worst.

This was the worst part of the challenge, running from small enemies that proved to be too many for them to fight off. There didn't seem to be a better way out of this until the crows disappeared. The Harvester lunged at the girls again, but missed. The girls had dodged this one and sprung off to the other end of the arena, their breathing becoming labored.

This was a tough opponent to handle, but the girls knew they couldn't give up too soon or else they'd be finished off just like Maggie. They hoped for the next moment when the Harvester got his weapon caught to the ground again.

Their prayers were answered when the creature had its scythe raised high up again to throw it down, only to have it stuck all the way. Its hat slipped from the back of its head to reveal the same sore red spot. Grace took aim as the creature was distracted, causing even worse pain than ever.

"Where are you girls!"

Glancing over her shoulder, Mrs. C found to her horror that it was Maggie, still possessed by whatever was controlling her. How did she get inside the arena if it was sealed off? That was a question that would remain unanswered.

"Why would you leave me behind in the dirt?" Maggie's mouth said her voice still distorted and deeper. "I thought you were my dearest friends!"

She was starting to come closer, and before Mrs. C knew it, her possessed friend threw herself at her with the force of a wild animal.

Mrs. C jumped out of the way, and saw that Maggie had instead caught her teeth onto the head of the Harvester, tearing it off its body. Red streams began to grow out of the creature, writhing for a bit screaming in pain. Then it dropped to its knees, dissolving into dust before it disappeared along with its scythe, leaving behind a small black key.

"How did I get here?"

Grace and Mrs. C looked to find that Maggie no longer appeared pale, nor were her eyes in a yellowish sickly color. She was staring at her surroundings, and the sack she held in her teeth, spitting it out in confusion and looked up at her friends.

"Have I been sleepwalking again or what?"

Her two friends just gathered around her in a huge embrace, happy and relieved to find her alive and well, this time for real. Although Maggie did not remember everything that happened in that cornfield, she hugged them back and didn't want to ruin anything. Everything would be explained later. For now they had a quest item to retrieve up in the barn.

With the black key, the girls walked up quickly to the hill and unlocked the doors to the barn where they found the lantern painted in shining silver. As Grace moved over to pick it up, just like the museum, everything turned into a grayish color, freezing up.

"_Well done girls, now follow my voice_!"

**AN**: _Here is another update as promised for my fellow readers. The Harvester creature was inspired by the animatronic figure I had seen at the Halloween store last year and thought it would be a great idea to include something like that in the farm valley level as a boss fight. Soon the next chapter will focus on the girls about to start on their third mission which will be revealed later. I would also like to thank yamimakai3 for help with ideas and future ideas that will happen later, but will be a surprise._


	8. The Plant House

**Chapter 8: The Plant House**

The girls followed a new path that opened up for them straight out of the farm valley level. Maggie couldn't remember exactly what had happened after she was pulled into that deadly cornfield and was beyond flabbergasted to hear her friends say that they found her in the arena of the Harvester with no solid explanation. Neither Mrs. C nor Grace mentioned that she was under the control of an unseen evil spirit, eating bugs in the vegetable garden. They didn't want her to lose her temper with Willie again, angering him any further to make the games more difficult than before. She had to stay strong till the end as they needed for her to be.

"We thought you were gone for good," Grace said timidly. "Until you turned up in the arena after we defeated the Harvester."

"And that is all we know," Mrs. C added.

"Although I would like to know what really happened to me back there," Maggie admitted. "I guess it's not that important anymore now that the mission is over, right?"

"Of course it's not important Maggie," Mrs. C insisted. "Our only goal is to move on to the next game."

They traced down the footprints found on the dirt road that turned to the right. Guessing that they were the footprints of Willie's boots, it was here the hero cows came across a post sign, freshly covered in green moss.

"Our next missions right ahead, no doubt," Maggie sighed. "Don't we ever get a break in between?"

Reading the sign, two destinations were not too far away: to the north was the Chaos Carnival, the eastern route led towards the Flower Gardens. The girls stared closely at the footprints, leading to the path of the Flower Gardens. They saw the many hedges and overgrown roots that lent this area its name; especially with the red roses and dandelions. Eventually, the road became a path of bricks where the girls found Gold Tooth Willie standing patiently beside a large tarnished water fountain, covered halfway in moss.

"Welcome back ladies!" Willie said casually. "Enjoy your time on the farms?" Willie had a strange smile on his face, a pleased smile.

The girls remained silent in dread, with Grace coming forward to hand him the silver lantern. This cowpoke was becoming creepier by the minute. It seemed he was secretly plotting to scare them to death before the end of the games.

"What are you so happy about?" Maggie asked, slightly annoyed by that awful expression on Willie's green face.

"Why shouldn't I be satisfied?" Willie replied, staring at the silver lantern. "Not that many challengers make it this far as I know. Most o' them often end up lost…or dead."

"Where are they now?" Grace asked nervously.

"That ain't no concern o' yours little lady," Willie answered, snapping his fingers to make the lantern disappear. "It's time for the next mission. Just follow the stone brick road and I'll be waitin' there."

Like before, Willie vanished out of sight, leaving the girls by themselves. Following his advice, the girls moved pass the water fountain, their hooves clapping from every step on the brick road. Five minutes later, the girls witnessed a strange sight; the roots that littered the brick road ahead moved to clear the path, disappearing into the bushes. Once they cleared, a lone pumpkin was bouncing along on its own. At first alarmed, the girls then watched it pass by where they first started.

"Wow, that was bizarre," Maggie muttered.

"Bouncing pumpkin," agreed Mrs. C. "I might have lost my appetite."

This was indeed an odd world of unexplained events. By the end of the road, the girls had come upon a wall of stone where they stood before a rusty iron gate. Maggie peeked through the bars, seeing that the other side was a garden of many plants and flowers, but didn't feel inviting.

"Bout time you showed up!"

Willie's voice caused the girls to jump and turn around to find him standing there, holding his pocket watch in the left hand.

"Five minutes early that is."

Willie's spurs clanked as he moved past the girls to stand before the wrought iron gate. Then he turned to face the girls, smiling gleefully to give the next clue.

"Deep within the conservatory, you'll find a looking glass designed to make objects larger. But you'll need to defeat the Giant Venus Flytrap in order to retrieve it. I'll be waitin'."

Watching Willie fade away like last time, his evil clue pounded into the girls' heads once the Iron Gate creaked open for them to enter through. They paused only to gaze at their destination at the end of the flower trail, leading to the plant house, made of shining glass.

"Is that where humans keep their plants in these days?" Grace whispered hesitantly.

"If that is the case," Mrs. Calloway began, with an edge in her voice. "I don't wish to go in, but though my body feels exhausted from our last fight, we must take caution in this garden of unseen evil waiting for us."

"But I'm so tired out, my hooves are killing me," Maggie moaned, walking unsteadily. "How does Bone Brain expect us to finish anything in our condition like this? Those worms inside his head must have eaten away part of his intelligence."

"_I HEARD THAT!_"

The girls froze for an instant when the angry voice of Willie popped out of nowhere; almost forgetting that he can see and hear anything when he can.

"Maggie, heed my warning if you value our lives," Mrs. Calloway whispered warningly to Maggie. "Keep your temper under control."

Maggie said nothing as she nodded her head, and they continued forward until a yellow sight swirling from the ground was before them. Next to the glow was another sign, where the girls read the contents:

_Feeling tired out or weak from the lack of strength? Come step into this golden fountain to recover from your last enemy encounter. You'll find an abundance of these in separate areas of each level you enter_.

Grace was the first to step in bravely at first feeling nothing, but then felt something in her as if she had awakened from a good long sleep. Her entire body no longer felt tired out.

"Hey girls, it works. Try it out."

Her friends obeyed, stepping in one at a time, feeling their lost strength returning, with not a single ache or pain in their bodies.

"Aw, that feels much better," Maggie said, stretching her back legs and turning her neck sideways. "Maybe Ghoul Boy…uh, I mean Willie is not that clueless after all."

"Careful Maggie," Mrs. C hushed her. "He may still be listening."

Continuing their search throughout the paths, so far there was not yet any sign of enemy scum to be found, only a couple of flowers here and there. Like the first two levels they had completed, even the pretty flowers didn't bring satisfaction, only sending a forbidding feeling that it was telling the girls to go no further and leave the same way they had entered. Passing through a pumpkin patch, Grace's attention was then drawn to a few large, ripe pumpkins that made her mouth water. Her thoughts wafted back to when Pearl grew a few of them on the farm to sell at the market, hearing rumors of pumpkin bread, pumpkin cakes, pumpkin pies, anything delicious made out of pumpkins. Without even thinking, Grace was starting to approach the pumpkin garden.

"Grace, what do you think you're doing?" Mrs. C called, noticing how Grace was walking off the track.

"It's alright Mrs. C," Grace responded calmly, dumbfounded. "Maybe no one here would mind if I take a bite out of this orange prize."

"NO GRACE DON'T TOUCH THOSE THINGS!"

Mrs. Calloway was right to be suspicious once she saw Grace reaching for a bit of her would-be dessert. At least five of the largest pumpkins started sprouting outlines that resembled mouths, and then they rose from the dirt to reveal large, root entangled bodies, with its vines that suddenly wrapped around Grace's neck.

"HELP!" She gasped. Her two friends came to help, with Maggie fighting off the other pumpkins with garden tools that were just sticking in parts of the dirt. They had to keep the other pumpkins from getting near Grace by hopefully cutting their roots. Once she had succeeded in doing so with the hedge clippers, the four pumpkins withered and became piles of orange mush.

"Hang in there Grace!" Maggie cried, rushing to her rescue with the same scissors. Only now, something else caught her by the left back ankle, tripping her enough to let go of the hedge clippers by accident. She turned to find that the red orange snap dragons had come alive and were trying to pull her to her death in the deadly garden, full of other hungry snap dragons. "Oh give me a break!" Panting in fury, Maggie tried reaching for the hedge clippers that were several inches away from her head.

As for Grace, it was not nearly enough for her to drag in air through her nose as the vines tightened up around her neck. The other vines got hold of Mrs. C after she had attempted to help Grace, only to be caught in its grasp herself. Both of them tried pulling the vines off with their hooves, but that had no effect on the possessed pumpkin. The vines felt like wires slicing deeper and tighter into their necks. Grace tried to scream and kick at the evil pumpkin, but all that came out was a hacking croak. She couldn't get enough air in to try again. One more option for her to do was to bite into the vines of the pumpkin, to see if it would loosen the grip on them. That of course did nothing! The vines squeezed tighter, choking her and Mrs. C. Grace's eyes bulged, black spots dancing in front of them. A rushing sound filled her ears.

_I can't breathe. Can't get this thing off my neck. This is it I suppose. We're going to die here and we'll never see our home again_.

Yet desperate to free themselves, Grace kicked backward, slamming her back legs underneath the pumpkin's chin. The pumpkin growled in pain, but it didn't let go of the girls. This time Mrs. C kicked at it and threw her whole body on top, crushing it into mush, enough for the vines to loosen their grips on the two. Coughing and gasping, they heard Maggie coming forward, already free from the snap dragons, covered with a few leaves.

"Wow, those are the most unfriendly pumpkins I've ever seen," she cursed, staring at what was left of the thing that attacked them. "Looks like we won't be having pumpkin pies for dessert."

"No thanks, I've completely lost my pumpkin taste," Grace coughed, her neck throbbing and her throat feeling crushed from the tight grip still. "Let's carry on."

Unable to believe that she had almost been killed, Grace stayed closer to her friends for further protection, being super alert for anything that may appear harmless at first, but was really dangerous like those pumpkins she almost tried to eat. It was as if there was a spell over them that made her taste buds take complete control. Never again did any of them dare to try and take a bite out of what looked delicious, unless they wanted to risk another surprise attack. Following the stone brick road further, the girls saw that many of the other pumpkins, cantaloupes, and watermelons were suffering from other effects as well. Some of them began to grow large, pulsating. Others had exploded after they had passed by; guessing this trickery to be one of Willie's tricks no doubt. Still they kept their courage up, ignoring the rest of the flower and vegetable gardens.

Around the corner, the girls found a potting shed right next to the entrance of the conservatory. Never knowing what else could be inside, they figured there might be something else useful in the potting shed other than garden tools to help fight off enemies. Inside were harmless plants in pots, more hedge clippers, and two large sparkling bottles labeled _pumpkin repellent_ and _bug spray _sitting next to a green water tank valve, also sparkling.

"Hey these two look awfully useful for us," Maggie said with relief. "Let's take'em inside."

"We better take that thing inside as well," Mrs. C suggested. "I don't know how it works, but we might need it."

Grabbing the three useful items, the girls left the potting shed, only to find a few pebbles dancing in the dirt before them, in which three possessed pumpkins had ambushed them.

"Sorry, we don't have time for you pumpkin heads!" Maggie hollered, taking out the pumpkin repellent to see how it works. To their surprise, the pumpkins drew back and fell backwards, evaporated into mush. "Wow, this thing really does work. Careful, don't step on the mush now girls"

"That's it, I'm going on a pumpkin diet when we get back home," Grace moaned, stepping over the mush with little discrimination.

"Count me in," Mrs. C added.

* * *

><p>Avoiding the mush, the hero cows headed inside for the conservatory entrance. The only enemies to greet them there were the snap dragons, which proved no real threat as the girls only stomped on each of them. Their dreams of pumpkin delights had already been smashed long enough. They didn't care whether or not they liked what they were doing. When something in this level tried to kill them that was an exception to make.<p>

All the walls around them were made of glass. Grace could feel her mutant phobia acting up again, despite that the hissing snapdragons were easy to eliminate. For all she knew, something else in this house could be worse than the pumpkins outside. Still, it would have done no good to just call it quits right away. She had to keep believing that they would make it out of here after the last level. It was their only hope in surviving all ten levels.

With all snapdragons in this first room annihilated, there was a door up ahead, guarded by a cloud of bees. With the bug spray however, it was no problem for Grace to use against them as they all disappeared and the door opened for them.

In this next room, there were only more plants in pots, quite harmless and still. But the girls stayed alert, feeling something else important in this level might be nearby. On the far end was a sign on the glass wall, and a glowing vial of some sorts underneath the sign:

_Beware of poisonous black mushrooms that linger around corners of the conservatory. Get caught in their smoke; use this antidote vial to cure the effects. You'll find plenty more of these vials in other areas of the conservatory. So look carefully_.

"Oh great, now we're about to have a mushroom problem that spits out gas from it's…" Maggie was at a loss for words. "…uh never mind. Let's just take this thing in case we might need it."

"See Maggie, you can be brave when you want to," Mrs. C smiled in assurance, hoping it would keep Maggie from losing her temper for the rest of this level.

"Thanks." That was all Maggie could say.

The girls moved into another room, greeted by two more evil pumpkins, but were quickly defeated by the use of the pumpkin repellent. On top of a box, there was a refill for their weapon which filled them with enthusiasm. The next room afterward was just as that. More pumpkins and more spray. Eventually they had entered another room filled with harmless plants, mostly white roses in small pots on glass tables. There were two doors to choose from, the _Basement_ or the room labeled _Fire Lilies_.

"I don't know about wandering in the basement, so let's try that door first," Grace suggested, pointing to the door leading to the fire lilies. Just when she was about to turn the knob, something else in the room nearly made them jump.

"NO, DON'T GO IN THERE!"

Alarmed, the girls turned around, looking to find the source of that unknown voice.

"Who's in here?" Mrs. C demanded. "Come out and show yourself?"

"SSHHH, not so loud," the same voice whispered harshly. "Or the ghosts might be listening."

Confused, Grace had asked. "Do you mean…Willie?"

There was no response. So quietly, the girls moved away from the closed door and could see something wriggling in the flowers. It was a white rose, using its leaves as arms and hands to get their attention.

"Did that rose just move or was it me?" Maggie asked in disbelief.

"Do you think it's friendly?" Grace was unsure, but there was only one way to find out. "If it is, how will we know if we don't try?"

They all gathered around the white rose for further examination and questioning.

"Who are you?" Grace whispered.

"And what are you exactly?" Maggie added hesitantly.

"My name," the white rose responded mournfully. "I don't recall what it used to be. It's been so long since I have been defeated in this part of the game. So long that I have forgotten it. That's what happens when you're trapped here and can't move on to the other world. What I do remember is my real master, the memory I have not lost. It was that same June afternoon when he came to visit me in the barn with the sun shining down. Only now I have no memory of his name."

"But that means your home used to be on a farm," said Grace.

"Maybe it was," said the white rose sadly. "My bed was soft and warm, like my master's kindness. Not even the winter snow could take that away. I remember that one."

The voice sounded so sad that the girls could feel pity for this white rose, believing there was more mystery to this game than they ever thought. Now they could have sworn that the other white roses were moving and whispering amongst themselves, which made them step back.

"No, please don't be alarmed," the rose begged. "We mean you no harm. We only want to help."

"But how do we know you aren't sending us into a death trap?" Mrs. C asked firmly.

There was a pause. "If we wanted you dead, I wouldn't have stopped you from entering the room with the fire lilies. Without the water sprinklers turned on, you'll be signing your death certificates and join us here as lonesome plants, wishing all this torment would end."

"We were here far longer than you'll ever be," said another white rose. "It almost seems like yesterday since I lost my life and ended up here in a flower pot. Now I know how all plants feel without an owner to take care of them."

"But how did this happen?" Grace stepped and voiced her thought. "How did you all end up like this in the first place?"

"It was he that left us here," said one of the roses. "He that challenged us in these deadly games, trapped us in this world, wouldn't let us go free, and stole our true identities. Right after we were defeated and failed to finish, we became the form of what you see before you."

The girls looked at each other sympathetically and fearfully, knowing it was Willie that the roses were talking about, before Grace said. "You poor souls, no one deserves such a horrible fate. What can we do?"

"Not much we know miss," another rose moaned. "I was standing at the headstone and found myself in a world not like where I used to live. He told me that he had been waiting for someone like me to play in the games. But I never saw the sun again after that."

The first white rose that talked spoke up with a warning. "There is no escape, no escape. He'll find you wherever you go. The only way out is in. But none of us ever got that far."

"Hold on a minute, you mean to tell us that no one has ever reached the last level before?" Maggie shrieked. "We'll find a way out of here. Maybe we're about to be the first to make it there."

"Don't be so sure miss," the rose argued. "Even if you play by his rules, he'll never let you go that easily. He'll keep you here in any form he chooses as the years go by and the days turn to nights."

"No, we won't accept that!" Mrs. C protested angrily. "Even if we don't know what else we're up against, we are certainly not going to end up as objects in the plant house. I won't believe it."

There was silence once more.

"Then I can't stop you," said the rose. "But maybe I can still help you. Down in the basement, there is an object called weed killer and another known as sleeping powder. But beware of large bugs that crawl down there, unless you already have bug spray to take care of them. That green water tank valve you're holding is the key to turning on the water sprinklers in order to pass by safely. You'll find the pipe along with the weed killer and sleeping powder. That's all I can say for now, so good luck."

"Come on you two," Grace whispered cautiously. "We might not have much time."

The girls thanked the rose for the advice and quietly opened the door to the basement, closing it behind them.

"I wonder what the big deal is with these bugs that rose was talking about," Maggie murmured doubtfully. "They can't be that…"

Her sentence had been cut short when the girls back up in horror at the sight of a large black spider the size of a buffalo, coming toward them.

"…BIG!" Maggie choked back a scream.

"Bug spray, use the bug spray quick!" Mrs. C hollered.

Instantly, Grace grabbed hold of the bug spray and aimed it at the spider, turning her head the other way, not wanting to look at that hideous creature. What happened next was a cry of pain and a huge thud. Opening her right eye, Grace saw that the large spider turn upward, dead and melted down into a sick green puddle that soon disappeared in seconds.

"Piece of cake girls," Maggie said proudly. "Now let's get going. We got a water sprinkler to turn on."

The path down to the basement was not that far or difficult. Yet to their annoyance, other hideous insects such as cockroaches, bees, and spiders got in the way, eager to kill their victims. But it made for a good session of anger management, especially for Maggie once she started stomping on the cockroaches as Grace took care of the bees and spiders with the bug spray. Some of the dissolving green puddles left behind some extra bug spray that gave the girls a good refill on their weapon. Getting back on track, the girls went down the hallway and it led to an isolated room where they had found the weed killer and sleeping powder that the white rose had been talking about. Next to those two items was the pipe in need of a water tank valve.

"There it is," said Mrs. C, moving over to the pipe. "Let's see now, all we do is take this valve and place it in here…just…like…this. Perfect, hope that did the trick."

"Do you think it's safe to enter that other room by now?" Grace asked.

Mrs. C shrugged. "Only one way to find out Grace."

Leaving the room with their two new weapons, the girls headed back the way they had entered the basement and reentered the room with the white roses.

"Oh bless you three," the first white rose congratulated. "You made it. We were afraid you'd be finished, but you've proven us wrong. Yet there is one more word of advice I must tell you before the three of you go on your way.

"What is it?" Grace questioned. "Is it about other plants we haven't encountered yet?"

"It's not just that miss," the rose answered. "There is one more plant in this house, known as the master of the conservatory. It controls every source of plant life in and out of the conservatory like its own servants, bowing down before it, and possesses the ability to summon an army of cabbage with a wave of its vines. What's it called…the Giant Venus Flytrap? That's it."

"Oh no," was all Grace could mutter. None of the girls liked the sound of that; knowing how bad these other loyal subjects like the pumpkins, snapdragons, and other dangerous plants had been. Only now an even bigger plant at the end of this level was about to be ten times worse. Hopefully one of these two items they found must be its weakness.

"If you three want to get out of this game alive, there is one thing that the Giant Venus Flytrap hates more than hedge clippers; and that is weed killer you hold in your grasp. Use it carefully, the moment it opens its mouth."

**AN**: _Hello everybody, I am so terribly and utterly sorry that I have been neglecting to upload any of my stories lately. Not only was I distracted by my cartoon project, but I had recently joined Deviantart, obsessed with uploading my artwork for maybe more than a hundred people to view and favorite, asking me for requests that I had lost count of how many requests they had been asking me for. Anyways, again I apologize for being absent for such a long time that I know I need to get back to writing and finishing up my three unfinished stories before I decide to upload any more in the future. Most of the credit for the ideas in this chapter go to my good friend yamimakai3 that we have been discussing through PM._


	9. The Giant Venus Flytrap

**Chapter 9: The Giant Venus flytrap**

"If you ever succeed in this quest, perhaps you could win our freedom," the white rose maintained.

"How do we do that?" Grace implied.

"You'll find our hearts and souls trapped and hidden inside colored stones. Without them, we are nothing but empty shells. Please find those stones, and we'll be set free. But first, you must face the plant monster. Hurry; there is not much time to waste."

"Don't worry little rose," Grace whispered sorrowfully. "We'll try."

The white rose went silent, back to being an ordinary plant before the girls opened the door to the Fire Lilies. In this room, they had seen the sprinklers turned on, raining down everywhere on the red flowers, leaving them harmless. It pained them to imagine what other unknown suffering those white roses might be going through as they were on their way to meet the boss of this level. None of them had any knowledge of what an empty shell truly meant, but whatever it was, it still scared them and did not want to think of the details any further. One thing was for sure, the girls were determined not to end up like the poor lost souls and have a firm talk with Willie about setting them free.

"Girls, you know we have to find those soul crystals the rose was talking about," Grace muttered. "I can't stand the thought of them being left behind, trapped, while we're still in the games. We have to help them."

"I'm with you on that Grace," Mrs. C admitted. "I couldn't agree more. What is an empty shell? I haven't the slightest clue. But I refuse to be added to it. I suspect that's what Willie wants to make us out to be if we fail. I won't have it."

"Look out girls!" Maggie cried, pushing her friends down with her body.

"Maggie, what are you doing?" Mrs. C asked sharply. "Get off us."

"Alright, but stay down and whatever you do, don't stand up. Crawl for your life."

"What are you talking about?"

Maggie pointed above the ceiling as the other two girls stared up, seeing the reason why Maggie did what she did. There were small purple, but poisonous mushrooms grown out of the moss, pulsating and nearly ready to spit out gas. The girls said nothing as they crawled on the floor, hoping to avoid getting caught in poison if they dared to stand up for a moment. Shoving past pebbles and harmless dandelions, they waited until there was no more sign of any poisonous mushrooms anywhere and stood back up in the next hallway. There was another sign for them to read, catching their attention.

_The Giant Venus Flytrap sleeps within the largest room of the conservatory. For those that wish to encounter this nasty weed, search for its offspring and kill them_.

"Offspring, now where do you suppose they could…wait a minute," Maggie walked not too far away from her position. There was a corner on the left, littered with grass and more importantly, large roots running inside and out from both sides of the glass wall. One large root in particular was fat and pulsating, and a mouth with no eyes. She took a good look at it, stepping back when it acted like it was trying to bite, revealing small sharp teeth. She thought of something. "Girls, bring that weed killer here for a moment. This has to be the offspring." The girls obeyed, letting Maggie do the spraying. Once done, the pod cringed and died, drained of its nutrients and liquids. Its disappearing corpse left behind an extra fill of weed killer. "Ha, that was easy."

Of course, Maggie's vandalism on the pod did not go unnoticed, when one door opened down the hallway and two hideous evil pumpkins burst out attacking the intruders.

"Uh oh, we got company girls!" Grace cried fearfully.

"Not for long Grace!" Mrs. C replied, not forgetting that they still had the pumpkin repellent with them as she took it out to eliminate the two enemies in an instant, transforming them into mush. "That's what happens when you dare to lay a tendril on my friends."

From what the girls could see down the hallway and in separate other rooms, most of the plant life, besides the poisonous mushrooms they avoided, and the mutated pumpkins, were perpetually dead. It was as if the deadly roots and the offspring had been sucking the life out of everything, including keeping the lost souls trapped against their will. Right in front of a tarnished fountain, another pod was discovered, next to a bouquet of sharp roots sticking out from the wall. They eliminated the pod and turned around, remaining quiet throughout the rest of their move down the hallway. When they saw a passage covered in lively roots, the ruby necklace around Grace was starting to shimmer.

"We're close," she murmured. "But what about those roots?"

"Still got the hedge clippers don't you Grace?" Maggie reminded.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot."

Using the hedge clippers, the roots were cut away, making it safe for them to pass and find the hourglass atop a water fountain, still being drained of its sand at the bottom. Ignoring the object, the girls followed the signal of the ruby necklace that would take them to the quest item.

Next, the girls entered into an even bigger room area, finding another fountain all dried up. The culprit was another pod sack above the surface, growing a few ways apart.

"Time for some more gardening," Maggie gloated, as the weed killer did its part.

Luckily there were no enemies hidden here, but the girls didn't care, having more important things to worry about ahead as they left. They continued to focus on the red beam of the necklace pointing in the direction of the left hall. But first, the girls helped themselves to a healing golden fountain at the end of the right hall, one at a time. Once back in the left hall, Maggie mused upon seeing a treasure chest sitting before them.

"Now what do we have here?"

"Hold up Maggie, better let me handle this," Mrs. C volunteered.

Tapping it with her hoof, the chest shook and opened up to reveal two more refills of pumpkin repellent, one full bug spray, and one big jar of weed killer that filled the girls supply up to the top.

"Wow, talk about free garden samples," Grace said, quite impressed. "We won't have to do any shopping anytime."

Gathering up the items, it was now that the mutated plant life began to retaliate. Cursed pumpkins began to pop up from the soiled ground, coming for an attack.

"Alright time out," Maggie cried sarcastically, pulling out the pumpkin repellent. "You weeds just don't know when to quit do you!"

She sighed heavily before giving the mutant pumpkins a taste of their own medicine.

"Honestly if anyone wants my honest opinion about these guys, I find them dull and boring by now."

"I'll say," Grace agreed. "This repellent makes the job too easy, which is good actually."

"Don't give Willie any ideas you two," Mrs. C warned.

* * *

><p>The girls moved further down the left hall, finding nothing in the first two doors. But in the third room was another pod sack, heavily guarded by living roots and two more mutant pumpkins that were not so difficult for them to eliminate with the hedge clippers and pumpkin repellent. When this pod met its end by the weed killer held by Grace, more mutant pumpkins emerged from outside the third door entrance.<p>

"Sorry there boys," Maggie retorted. "We don't have time to talk to you. Out of our way!"

Rather than use the pumpkin repellent, Maggie charged at the enemies, knocking them out of the way, beating a hasty retreat as the girls made a run for it with the mutant pumpkins in pursuit. One of the mutant pumpkins bit at Maggie's tail while running.

"OUCH!" Maggie shrieked in pain, turning around to face the mutants. "Oh you think that's funny don't you. Well have a taste of this!" She cursed as each of the mutant pumpkins were quickly eliminated into a pile of orange slime by a whiff of the repellent. "Oops, I stand corrected."

"Maggie…here!" Mrs. C called from the end of the hallway, with her and Grace standing in front of two glass doors. "I think we found the door."

After catching her breath, Maggie saw what Mrs. C was talking about as the ruby necklace was shining brightly than before. Their quest in this level was almost finished, but there was something else to take care of at the same time. Pushing the glass doors open, and inside this large garden area was a sight to behold. A Venus flytrap the size of a barn house was situated in the center of the garden with many thick roots and vines growing from top to the bottom. But worse yet, two more pods remained in this room, next to the monster sized plant, sleeping and breathing. Even when they spotted the EXIT sign on the far right, escape was impossible as thick roots blocked the way that not even the hedge clippers could cut through.

"Oh my god," Grace gasped in shock. "That's the largest plant I've ever seen. So big, not even a garden professional can pull it out of the ground. It would take more than one man to do the job."

"My dear Grace, I wouldn't count on it," Mrs. C asserted. "There are no men here, so its' up to us to defeat this monster. We have to kill those two pods close to it."

Maggie swallowed nervously, moving cautiously to the two pods, listening to the awful breathing of the plant monster. Keeping a tight hold of the weed killer, she took care to dispose of them without waking their host. At first the grounds were silent once Maggie rushed back to her friends, but then a shrill scream rumbled from the giant plant monster that caused the girls to back away from the sealed up entrance.

"WHO DISTURBS MY SOLITUDE?!"

The girls gulped in fear, watching the plant monster rise, the stalk holding it up was formidable in size, breaking out of the giant flower pot. Its hideous long vines and roots lifted up off the ground, making crude arms. Hissing in fury, the creature also appeared to have no eyes, big lips and long sharp teeth. Unless its eyes were hidden elsewhere, the monarch pointed a vine at Maggie, an inch or two from her frightened face.

"You…" it bellowed. "I don't recall seeing anything like you before."

"Is…that a threat?" Maggie stated, still frightened.

"As a matter of fact, it is baby."

"Well see here Mister Big Lips," Maggie began, becoming now a tad irritated while still frightened. "We don't want to cause problems for you, but unless you already know, what good is it to keep others from leaving this glass house against their will? Don't you think it's time to end this madness and set them free?"

"So they can rest in peace," Grace added.

"Which is why we're here," Mrs. C maintained.

The plant monster took in the intruders' words, and then rumbled with diabolical laughter. "HA, HA, HA…don't make me laugh. Besides, who's going to stop me? You…I'd like to see that."

The girls were becoming angry, their fear melting as they were brave enough to stand and face the plant monster.

"If you won't listen to reason, then prepare to meet your doom!" Maggie snapped.

The plant monster snarled contemptuously. "OH YEAH?! YOU MIGHT WANT TO RECONSIDER THAT…CAUSE ONCE I KILL ALL THREE OF YOU, YOU'LL BE JOINING EACH OTHER IN FLOWER POTS…AND I'LL BE UNSTOPPABLE!"

Maggie charged in, with the weed killer at the ready, but the Venus Flytraps' vine swatted her aside, causing her to drop the weapon. Before Grace had a chance to pick it up, the plant monster's vines wrapped around her stomach and neck, lifting her off the ground and pulling her closer to him. Grace kicked and squirmed helplessly, unable to release herself from its tight grip.

"I wonder how a helpless blond bovine tastes!" It boasted, opening its mouth wide.

Grace could feel her heart pounding madly with fear, as she looked to see how large its jaws were.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Mrs. C screamed, rushing over to Grace's aid with the weed killer, having not forgotten what the white rose advised them. She made a high jump for it to dodge an attack from the creatures' other vines and roots, throwing a good amount of liquid into the mouth. The creature dropped Grace, writhing and roaring in agony, clutching at its leafy throat with its vines. The two girls dodged out of the way when the plant monster reared its ugly head, standing a good distance away, helping Maggie up.

"What's wrong Poison Ivy?" Maggie twitted. "Hedge clippers got your tongue?!"

The plant monster roared in anger, not quite dead yet.

"Looks like you underestimate the power of Pearl's girls!"

"Curse you! Now I'm really going to feast on your bones tonight!"

"Come and get us if you can!" she replied, keeping a secret weapon hidden from him.

At this rate, the creature was indeed furious enough to strike at the girls using its vines like whips hitting the ground. Yet they all had managed to dodge these attacks, in hopes that maybe the creature would tire out eventually so they could wait for it to open its mouth again.

But the plant monster had one more trick up its sleeve once Grace slipped on the floor from puddle of water and had the monsters vines around her body again, this time keeping her all four of her legs from kicking.

"GRACE!" Mrs. C hollered in panic, rushing over to help her, but she too had been lifted off the ground with another of the creatures' vines coiling around her stomach. "Unhand me you horrible weed!"

"Is that any way to talk to your elders?" the plant monster taunted. "I don't think so."

"HEY LET MY FRIENDS GO YOU GREAT BIG…!" Maggie was cut off short, snatched off the ground from another strong vine that had coiled around her stomach and neck.

"YOU WERE SAYING FAT STUFF!" The plant monster jeered, now tightening his grip on each of the girls. "I THINK I'LL TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY BEFORE I DEVOUR YOU ALL!"

The plant monster began to work its way in tightening deeper on its three victims, taking pleasure in their struggle to breathe. Maggie had the weed killer snatched out of her tail from tip of the vine, dropping onto the floor. There goes their chance to finish off the killer beast. It couldn't possibly end like this too soon.

Grace felt weak and hopeless, until she remembered that her tail was not tied up like the rest of her body. In her tail, she still held the hedge clippers. To this advantage, while the plant monster was distracted, Grace managed to cut the vine that bound her and fell on the floor with a thud. It was enough to cause the creature to howl in pain as if it had been stung by a giant bee, loosening its grip on the other two girls, dropping them. Catching their breath, Maggie and Mrs. Calloway helped Grace out of the cut vine and kicked it away.

"NOW I'M REALLY MAD!"

The creature moved its vine toward the girls again, only to miss as they dodged to the right. Unless the creature opened its mouth again, this level would remain unfinished. Thinking quickly, Maggie got another idea and a crazy one at that while the girls hid behind a giant empty flower pot.

"Stay here girls," she ordered. "And don't move unless I tell you!"

"What are you talking about?" Grace implied anxiously, but got no answer when Maggie already started to rush back to the plant monster. "Maggie, come back!"

"Hey you, Big Lips!" Maggie caught the creature's attention by standing several feet away from it. "If you want me, come and get me!"

"I'll have your head for this little lady!" It ranted.

The moment that the creature moved its two vines toward Maggie, she made a desperate run for it, here, there, over and under several objects in the garden area, even running around the plant monster…right up until it was all tangled up in its own vines, leaving the last tips in a big knot.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! YOU ROTTEN LITTLE SNEAK!"

At this rate, the plant monster did one final attack. He began to screech and inhale nearly everything in the room, except for the girls, who were holding onto the ground firmly. What the plant monster didn't realize is that Maggie had thrown in the very last portion of the weed killer right into its mouth. Once swallowed, the creature stopped inhaling, groaning and feeling sick.

"OH, I THINK I NEED TO REST!"

The digestion of that poison was too much for this plant monster. It thrashed its head around as innards and slime bled rousingly.

"TOO LATE, I'M GONE DOWN THE DRAIN!"

With one final groan, the plant monster slumped over in death, melting into one disgusting giant green puddle. Maggie sighed with relief, knowing that the battle was finally won in the third level. Grace and Mrs. C stepped out from their hiding place, seeing that the dead plants and fountains consumed by the plant monster had returned to life again.

Grace gave a look of disgust at the sight of the oozing puddle. "Ugh, what nauseating way to die…hey what's that?"

The green slime vanished within seconds, leaving in its place an object with a combination of lenses.

"That's it, that's the object," Grace pointed out. "It has to be."

She went over to fetch the object, using her tail. Just like the first two levels of the game, everything in this level turned gray. The roots that had blocked the exit evaporated, creating a clear path for the girls to make their escape.

"It's time to leave girls," Mrs. C announced.

"But what about the white rose?" Grace implied, not forgetting that those poor souls could still be trapped in the conservatory. "We can't just leave those poor things here."

"We can't help them now Grace," Mrs. C replied reluctantly. "Everything here is all frozen up, even the doors. But we'll think of something I'm sure."

Grace nodded, knowing how right she was and joined her friends as they entered through the EXIT door, back outside to where they followed the same stone brick road down to the Iron Gate that had no lock. They were half expecting for Willie to show up wherever he may be. Yet everything else was silent and empty. If he wasn't going to appear where the girls were standing, their option was to follow the one path ahead and hope that Willie would be expecting them to show there. Having conquered another boss fight, the girls were ready to leave the plant house quest behind them and go onto the next level.

"Wait, hold up there you three!"

The girls jumped up when they heard an unfamiliar voice behind them, and turned in alarm. At first no one was there. But then a white glowing orb appeared, taking on the form of a skinny female white cow, smiling innocently at the girls.

"Thank you for defeating the plant monster," she spoke calmly. "I remember what I used to be now that I'm free. My name was Miriam."

"That voice," Grace uttered in disbelief. "You must be…"

"…the white rose?" The ghost cow finished her guess. "That I was. I don't know how it happened, but the last thing I knew…was being in the garden no more. All the other roses trapped before are free as well. As for the others out there, they still need our help. I'm not leaving you three to handle this all by yourselves. We must find those colored stones to set the lost souls free. Don't worry; I'll be near anytime you girls ever need help with puzzles. And if you ever want to talk to me anytime, whisper my name twice and I'll appear."

In an instant, the ghost cow began to shine brightly, causing the girls to cover their eyes until it stopped. The ghost cow was gone, but on the ground they saw what appeared to be a silver necklace with a diamond pendant attached to it, in the shape of a rose. With this magical item, the spirit would be summoned.

**AN**: _Here is another update to this story. Despite that I'm still busy with an animated cartoon project, that doesn't mean I never have times for updates every now and then. I must credit my good friend Carlos for helping me with ideas for this chapter as well as other future chapters. Stay tuned for the next chapter where the girls are about to enter a carnival level know titled "**Carnival of Horrors**"._


	10. Carnival of Horrors

**Chapter 10: Carnival of Horrors**

There was still no sign of Willie anywhere while the girls followed the one trail straight ahead, moving past flat, sandy fields with a few scraggly trees here and there. It seemed part forest and part desert. Grace had placed the silver rose pendant around her neck, hiding it underneath her bell. It relieved them to know that at least someone in this eerie world wasn't as mad as everything else.

"I hope our next mission doesn't lie somewhere in the desert of where in particular," Maggie moaned. "I'm allergic to sand in my nose."

"Don't forget to just take a deep breath and be silent," Grace suggested. "We don't want to risk aggravating the ghosts than we already have, now do we?"

"Is there a way not to aggravate any ghoulish characters without knowing it?" Maggie shrugged. "They're all over the place as far as I'm concerned, hearing and seeing everything we do. Whatever happened to privacy?"

"I think we found our next mission up ahead," Mrs. C interrupted, pointing to a wooden sign on the road.

"Does it say where we're off to?" Maggie asked.

The words on the sign came into view as the girls moved closer. It said: CHAOS CARNIVAL NEXT RIGHT.

"I guess we have to take a right like the sign says," Grace said. "There are no other trails."

"At least we won't have to worry about asking for directions," Maggie acquiesced. "No one around here but the trees and the sandy desert, not even a buzzard to come fly down and peck at our flesh."

Mrs. C rolled her eyes, smiling. Maggie sure managed to keep her humor after everything that's happened to them in the first three games, yet couldn't blame her entirely. So far, it helped to keep their spirits up.

They walked for nearly half an hour, finding what they guessed to be Willie's footprints on the trail. If he was already ahead of them, he must have already found out about their victory in the plant conservatory and wanted to wait for them in the next level. Every few minutes, Maggie would ask, "Any sign of Willie yet?"

"Not even a shadow," Mrs. C would reply unhappily.

After a while, the scraggly trees reappeared with the sand giving way to darker fields, dotted with trees and low shrubs.

"I don't know about you two," Maggie griped. "But I'm getting hungry. Is it lunch time yet?"

Rather than receive an answer, the girls suddenly looked up and screamed when they saw a hideous monster staring down at them, lowering its enormous head, ready to crush all three of them. It was as tall as a building, with red glowing evil eyes, and its mouth twisted in a hungry grin.

"MONSTER!" Grace managed to holler with fright. Her heart was pounding so hard, she thought her chest might explode.

The girls kept screaming as they saw the monster lower its head over them with its mouth open wide, and ready to swallow up the girls.

And then Mrs. Calloway realized something once she stopped screaming. "Hold on a minute! That's no monster!"

The other two stopped screaming and took a good look to see that the monster wasn't even alive. It was nothing more than a mechanical figure, part of a giant billboard display. The girls took a deep breath for relief.

"But it looked so real!" Grace exclaimed. "And disgustingly ugly!" She made a face of disgust.

"I wasn't that scared," Maggie lied, now refusing to admit that she had nearly jumped out of her skin as she now felt completely ridiculous. "I could already tell it was a fake."

They stared up at the monster billboard, lowering its head and opening its jaws. Then the jaws snapped shut, and the head slid back up, repeating this every five seconds. In front of the mechanical monster, the billboard was painted with huge red letters labeling: WELCOME TO THE CHAOS CARNIVAL WHERE IMAGINATION BECOMES MADNESS! There was a dark red arrow in the upper left hand corner, labeled: ONE BLOCK DOWN.

"I d…d…don't like the sound of this c…carnival," Grace stuttered fearfully. "This can't possibly be our next mission, can it?"

"I don't like what I'm seeing either Grace," Mrs. C said softly. "But there is nowhere else to turn and the only way out is in, as the white rose mentioned."

"Let's keep going girls," Maggie urged them. "We can do this, even if it does seem creepy."

Mrs. C scratched her chin and sighed. "We sure won't be getting anywhere by screaming at fake monsters now."

The girls continued to follow the footsteps through what seemed like an endless forest where tall, old trees leaned over the road, nearly blocking out the light of the eerie afternoon sun.

"I didn't know carnivals would be hiding somewhere out in the wilderness," Grace declared. "It's hard to believe someone could find it a place like this."

"Maybe we might have missed a sign coming here," Maggie suggested. "Maybe they're hiding underneath the trees.

Yet it seemed unlikely that there were any signs hidden from their view, proving Maggie to be wrong. The road curved sharply and they came out, the girls could see tall gates to the park straight ahead. Behind the tall red fence, the Chaos Carnival seemed to stretch for miles. The girls could see the tops of rides and strange colorful buildings. As they moved forward, eerie chords of organ music could be heard not so far away. There were no trucks or wagons parked anywhere, making it seem that this was more of an abandoned amusement park. This had to be where Willie was waiting for them. The same monster they had seen before rose up behind a green sign over the gate. The sign read: WELCOME TO THE CHAOS CARNIVAL!

"Those gates look to hold a dark secret," Grace said nervously.

"I wonder how we are supposed to get in," Mrs. C said confusingly.

Together, they had moved up forward with no plans of running away, stopping in front of what appeared to be a ticket booth at the entrance. And in that ticket booth, appeared Willie out of thin air.

"Welcome gals to the Chaos Carnival," he said in a gruff, low voice using the same western accent. A loud stab of organ music rose up from inside the ticket booth. "As owner of this here park, I hope you enjoy your stay and watch out for the ghouls."

"Wait a minute!" Maggie cried frantically. "You own this park? How is that possible? You're an outlaw!"

"Sorry, all questions classified. It's against the park rules," Willie replied, acting like a normal employee who was on personal business.

"Huh?" Maggie's face was bright red. Her forehead was drenched with sweat. "Is this some kind of joke? Because I don't find myself in a laughing mood!"

"It ain't no joke missy," Willie replied with a smirk. "Allow me to show you ladies the way in the carnival." His left hand gestured toward the red gates opening up with a creak. "Just step right on in. Admission is free. The voice on the intercom will be announcin' your next clue item."

The organ music grew louder as the girls entered through the gates before they closed up by magic, locking them in. Inside, the rides and attractions remained untouched and lifeless as if it really had not been in business for years.

"Well I daresay that it looks as if we're not going to find our next item in this filth," Mrs. C muttered. "It all appears that the owners are out of luck from their tax evasion."

Just then a voice from the intercom made the girls jump as it made an announcement for them to hear: HURRY, HURRY, STEP RIGHT IN AND HAVE FUN INSIDE OUR CARNIVAL OF MAYHEM AND MADNESS. IN CASE YOU THREE LADIES ARE WONDERIN', HERE IS MY NEXT CLUE FOR THIS LEVEL. WITHIN THE TWISTED CIRCUS OF MONSTROSITIES, MUTATIONS, AND ODDITIES, THE RINGMASTER CONTROLS ALL CREATURES WITH A WAVE OF HIS POWERFUL CANE. IF YOU'RE LUCKY TO SURVIVE HIS ENCOUNTER, TRY TO CATCH HIS CANE BEFORE THE SHOW IS OVER! Then the intercom turned off.

Without warning, all the lights turned on and the rides began to move after the announcement was over. The girls were now standing and walking on a brown, cobbled street of strange, dark cottages tilted up on both sides of the street. Tall trees along the street nearly blocked out the light of the sunset. The air carried a chill as they had gazed at their surroundings. The sound of their clapping hooves echoed off the cottage walls.

"Oh!" The girls all let out cries of surprise as a long, low, dark shadow ran in front of them, disappearing around the side of a cottage before any of them were able to get a good look at it.

"Anyone know what flew past us there?" Grace asked, her voice shaking.

"I certainly don't," Maggie replied. "But I don't care what it is. It might be Willie trying to scare us to death, but it's not working on me."

"My, my, I guess this park isn't as outdated as I thought it looked," Mrs. C said, trying to stay brave and alert. "The machines still work and there is fresh food at the booths over there."

"Food, did you say there's food?" Maggie said with excitement. "I sure am starving for whatever is there is to eat!"

She and Grace turned to where Mrs. C was looking, seeing that there was someone, or something, preparing snacks of caramel apples, funnel cakes, fudge, snow cones, French fries, and roast corn on a stick. Drinks included lemonade, soda, milkshakes, and iced water. Other booths served ice cream, salads, saltwater taffy, popcorn, pretzels, lollipops, licorice, cotton candy, and fruit punch. The smell was irresistible, even for Maggie as she started moving toward the food stands slowly, as if hypnotized.

"Maggie, no!" Mrs. C tried to stop her by snatching her tail, but it proved useless. "This is not the time to be thinking with your stomach. We're far from…OOFF!" She grunted, falling halfway as Maggie and Grace rushed over to the food stands, not paying the least attention to Mrs. Calloway.

"I'll take the roast corn and salad!" Maggie exclaimed hungrily.

"I'll take a raspberry snow cone and funnel cake!" Grace added in the same tone as Maggie.

The dark shadow handed the two what they had asked for and gobbled down on the delicious treats.

"Maggie, Grace, stop that at once!" Mrs. C demanded. "Have you two lost your mind? We have to keep going!"

"Back off Calloway!" Maggie hissed, protecting her food. "This is mine, go buy your own!"

Mrs. Calloway couldn't believe what just happened. Maggie's attitude suddenly changed.

"What's the matter with you?"

"Popcorn, ice cream, French fries, soda pop!" The shadow at the food stand announced. "Come and get it! All the food you can eat, it's all here folks!"

"Thanks, but no thanks!" Mrs. C snapped. "I'm on a strict diet today, thank you very much!"

"Not me!" Maggie had instantly finished her roasted corn and salad. "I'm always ready for seconds!"

"Count me in!" Grace joined in.

"No, stop it you two!" Mrs. Calloway tried to stop them, but she was only shoved aside. "You're going to make yourselves sick! Stop it!"

Maggie and Grace only ignored her as they asked for some popcorn, soda, cotton candy, lollipops, and caramel apples, gobbling it all one by one in unsatisfying manners. Anytime Mrs. Calloway tried to stop them, they would only snap, telling her to back off and get her own food.

_Why are they acting so different_? She thought anxiously. _And why am I not feeling the same thing? This is all too weird! What can I do?_

"You know, I've been thinking," Maggie said through mouthfuls of cotton candy. "Why bother looking for a stupid useless item when we could have fun instead? Think about it, there are no long lines, no responsibilities, no big crowds of obnoxious humans… we can do whatever we want!"

Mrs. C was beyond stunned at this. "Are you insane? Are you even listening to what I'm saying? I can't do this level without you two. We have to do this together!"

"Sorry Calloway!" Maggie declared, looking hard at Mrs. C in the face with a piercing expression. "You're on your own. We're done listening to a party pooper like you. Now it's time for us to have fun!"

Her eyes, along with Grace's eyes had turned an odd sort of pinkish color as she finished. Normally, Mrs. Calloway would have taken complete offense of this and turn completely furious at Maggie, but this time, she was more concerned than angry; especially with watching her two spellbound friends rush over to the rides, starting with the Ferris wheel.

"Oh Maggie, if you weren't spellbound, I would have knocked you straight into the mud!" Mrs. C yelled out in frustration, chasing after her two friends and hoped to find a way to get them back to normal before something terrible happened.

A shadow creature stood beside a lever in control of the Ferris wheel, allowing Maggie and Grace to enter a bucket, which was two at a time. He pulled on the lever, starting the ride as the girls hollered in excitement.

"Hi, clouds!" Grace yelled. "Hi, dark sky! We're on top of the world and nothing can stand in our way!"

Maggie leaned forward to look down on the moving fairgrounds, causing the bucket to sway as she saw Mrs. Calloway coming over to try and talk with the shadow creature. A feeling in her head caused a slight pain, flinching as she leaned against the seat, like static shock. Something was not right here, yet her sudden need for amusement was stronger than anything and she had managed to brush off what had happened.

Later on, the bucket finally stopped at bottom, as the two girls could see that Mrs. C had control of the lever and pushed on a button that removed the bar so they would get off.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Maggie demanded.

"You two should thank me for saving you from falling to your deaths!" Mrs. C responded sharply. "You could have suffered more than a broken neck!"

"Fine, we'll go find a different ride. What would you suggest?"

"I suggest we stop wasting time with these silly games and rides. Look what it's doing to you two. Don't you remember why we're here in the first place?"

"Nope, all I remember is setting my eyes on that roller coaster over there which looks better than this ride. I call the first seat!"

"Oh no you don't Maggie!" Grace called out.

The two girls zoomed past Mrs. Calloway, ignoring her protests, even as she chased after them. She skidded to a halt when she saw a blue orb come at her and transform into the same ghost cow Miriam.

"They won't listen to you," she said cautiously. "Your friends have fallen under the Spell of Amusement the moment they entered this carnival."

"The Spell of Amusement?"

Miriam nodded anxiously. "No amount of scolding will make them listen. You're untouched by the effects because of your strong, firm will."

"I was afraid of this," Mrs. C moaned. "Is there anything we can do to stop them?"

"You have to play along with them. Follow me to the roller coaster and I'll explain it to you, just not here. Anything might be listening."

Mrs. C heeded the ghost cow's advice and tagged along. Above the roller coaster entrance was a sign: **The Twister**. Maggie and Grace had already stepped inside the coaster car by the time Mrs. C arrived, so all she could do was wait and hope the ride was over as soon as possible while she listened closely to what Miriam had to say.

* * *

><p>Inside the roller coaster car, the two spellbound girls were buckled in, once it climbed, swooped, climbed again, and plunged toward the ground; Grace closed her eyes and screamed all the way down. It felt exciting to be doing this! If only Mrs. C were up here with them…but again, something didn't feel right to her.<p>

When the ride finally came to an end, the two girls found Mrs. C standing at the entrance, with their vision rather blurry, that she seemed to be swimming. One clear look at her, and they didn't seem all that excited to see her.

"Well look who decided to show up," Maggie said bitterly. "What is it this time?"

"Nothing at all my dear Maggie," Mrs. C implied, trying to hide her frustration. "When I saw you two on that roller coaster, I should have realized how right you are about this place."

"I am?"

"Yes, in fact I was now thinking that we should try out those games over there by the House of Mirrors and see if we win anything. You never know unless you try. But we have to stick close together if we want to have fun till the end."

"Now we're talking. Lead us to these games and I'll show you what a real winner truly is."

Walking side by side, sticking close together by Mrs. C's advice, the girls moved out of the roller coaster area, finding that there were no other tourists to be found, meaning they were the only visitors in the carnival. The street widened into a round plaza where several food and game booths surrounded the area. The girls saw a few ghostly specters in carnival outfits keeping an eye on everything. A pudgy phantom behind a black cart was selling ice cream cones…black ice cream topped with _REAL_ cockroaches which made all three of them gag and cough from complete disgust.

"OH YUCK!" Grace declared, making a face. "I THINK I ATE TOO MUCH ALREADY!"

"Just keep going and don't look back you two," Mrs. C cautioned, "Or else we'll miss the games."

It felt odd that the carnival food was ordinary looking for one minute and then by the looks of that disgusting cone, became a queasy delight. The same was now going for the rest of the foods such as pizza topped with spiders, skeleton pops, caramel apples sprinkled with maggots, and other disgusting delicacies that none of the girls wanted to look at. Even for Maggie and Grace, the feelings of fun were slowly slipping away from their minds, being replaced by alertness and suspicion. But they did want to check out the games.

"Hey look at that one!" Maggie shouted in excitement, forgetting what she saw recently. "Test your strength game. I'm up for it, how about you two?"

The two nodded and followed her to the high striker where there stood a phantom operator.

"Care to test your strength and see how much you got?" He asked.

"Bring it on," said Maggie confidently.

Having no need for the mallet, Maggie was allowed to use her head down on the lever with enough strength to find the puck rising high to hit the bell, indicating a success.

"STRIKE!" Maggie shouted in triumph.

The operator disappeared shortly after the win, but had left behind what appeared to be a large plastic gun for the girls to take. Shrugging, Maggie picked it up to examine the mysterious object, later to find by surprise that it squirts water, seeing Mrs. C's drenched face.

"Oops," Maggie smiled nervously, before Mrs. C snatched it away and squirted it back, giving Maggie an incredulous look after that. "I asked for that."

* * *

><p>Eventually the girls continued looking at what other games to play, already succeeding at a bottle throw booth winning a small mirror to add in their weapon supply, unsure of how it worked. Then there was the water balloon filler game, where they had won a BB gun. Their next won items were pepper spray, marble shooters, and a frying pan.<p>

"That's it for the games," Grace said. "What should we try next, the Giant Lobster Claw or the Tilt a Whirl?"

"On the contrary, I have another idea," Mrs. C suggested. "We should go find the…"

Her words were cut off shortly as soon as the lights and music turned off which made them jump with fright.

"WHAT'S THIS I HEAR...COMING YOUR WAY!" boomed a deep, frightening voice over a loudspeaker.

"Willie?" Maggie gazed around blindly, trying to see something…anything in the darkness. It was at this rate, all the amusement within her and Grace had left completely, leaving the spell broken once they remembered how they got here. "We know that's you, and you better knock it off!"

"LOOKS LIKE THEM CARNY FOLKS AIN'T TOO PLEASED WITH YOU TRYIN' TO CHEAT THEM OUTTA THE GAMES! The voice thundered. "YOU GOT ONE MINUTE TO MAKE A RUN FOR IT! THIS AIN'T NO JOKE! BETTER START RUNNIN'!"

"Running from what?" Grace cried, trying to see what he meant.

The girls stopped looking around once all the lights in the carnival turned back on, and a dozen of the phantom managers were coming toward them, taking on an ugly transformation into zombified, skeletal ghouls. Worse yet, creepy music started playing from somewhere, from an organ.

"WELL DON'T JUST STAND THERE! RUN! THEY'RE COMIN' RIGHT AFTER YOU!" The voice boomed impatiently. "NOW YOU HAVE FIFTY SECONDS BEFORE THEY DISAPPEAR! WHERE WILL YOU HIDE?"

"You heard him girls, RUN!" Mrs. Calloway urged, with Maggie and Grace following in pursuit.

Too frightened to look back or count how many were chasing them, the girls ran as fast as they could, hearing the awful moans of the zombies right behind them. The screams and terrified shrieks of Grace could be heard over the monstrous growls. They zoomed passed the rides, finding no place to hide in any of them while they were still moving.

"TWENTY SECONDS LEFT TO LIVE!" The loudspeaker boomed.

The girls kept running, unable to decide where would be the best place to hide, hoping it was not out in the open where they would get exposed to those zombies.

In another area to their right, a square shaped building made of glass reflected the light from the orange sun. The sign in front said: HOUSE OF MIRRORS.

"Come on, let's hide out in there!" Grace pleaded. "Unless you two have any other options!"

"Nope, I'm right behind you!" Maggie agreed. "How bad can it be?"

Mrs. C hesitated, thinking about what they would find in that building right after they went in. Yet it would be worse to leave those two on their own, and followed them in hopes that the zombies would never catch them going in.

Once going through the entrance, the girls could still hear the zombies' moans from the inside, and could see through the keyhole that none of them were bothering to get into the House of Mirrors, since the ghouls apparently had no brains at all to think about this. They listened until the moans grew softer and silent.

"Are they gone?" Grace whispered.

"I hope so Grace," Mrs. C replied silently. "But where are we now?"

"It looks like a dark tunnel of some sorts."

The girls turned around to find themselves in a narrow, dark tunnel. With their eyes filled with the bright glare from outside, they could hardly see a thing.

"Keep close and stay alert you two," Mrs. C said firmly. "We never know what might be in here."

Moving blindly, the girls' eyes eventually adjusted to the darkness as they neared the end of the tunnel, finding themselves in a narrow corridor with mirrored walls and a mirrored ceiling.

"Oh!" Grace uttered a low cry, echoing through the tunnel. "What is all this?"

All around, the girls could see their own reflections, surrounding themselves.

"I don't like the looks of this freak house," Maggie avowed. "And I'm sorry I got lost in all those hay rides before those monstrosities gave us the run."

"We'll discuss it later Maggie," Mrs. C implied. "First we have to find a way out of here and to look for the circus tent."

Maggie narrowed her eyes. "The circus tent?"

"Yes, according to Miriam's advice, we can get to the circus tent by taking a boat ride which is called the River of Doom."

**AN**: _FINALLY! Here is an update to this Halloween story. I'm so sorry for the long delay in updating it because of other things I've been distracted with such as Deviantart and all the cleaning I had to do for this month in order to prepare for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Since it is still October, I will keep working on this story as often as I can to finish it up and hope it turns out well in the end. I would also like to credit my friend Carlos for help with ideas on the next couple of chapters ahead._


	11. To the Funhouse

**Chapter 11: To the Funhouse**

Somewhere within the House of Mirrors, the girls thought they could hear giggling somewhere up ahead that sounded like a child's.

"Did you hear that?" Grace asked fearfully. "It sounds like a child. Maybe she needs our help."

"A child, I doubt that," Mrs. C shook her head suspiciously. "What would a child be doing in this house all of a sudden? It might be another trap."

"But we still need to find our way out, don't we?"

Maggie spoke up. "I don't care if it's a child or not. Why don't we give it a try and find out what it is. We'll never know by standing here staring deep into our reflections."

Mrs. C reluctantly agreed, seeing that their one and only option was to follow the voice and see where it came from. So they made their way through the mirrored walkway, with the walls curved to the left and the right. The reflections followed them, stretching deep into the mirrors, dozens and dozens of the girls' duplicates, getting smaller and smaller, stretching into infinity! The giggling maintained, which sounded as if it was coming from the other side of the mirrored wall. There seemed to be another narrow opening up ahead for them to enter. Grace was the first to walk through the opening until…BONK...she had hit her head on solid glass.

"OUCH!" Grace cried as she stepped back, feeling the pain jolt across her forehead, then down the back of her neck, all the way down to her spine. "MY HEAD!"

"Grace, are you alright?" Mrs. C asked. "You must have accidentally hit a wall instead of an opening."

"I'm alright Mrs. C, really I am," Grace said calmly, rubbing her forehead. "Hey, where did Maggie go?"

Turning behind her, the two became overwhelmed with panic to find that Maggie was missing all of a sudden.

"Maggie, Maggie, where are you?" Mrs. Calloway called out. "Come on out! I told you before we're supposed to stick together!"

"I'm right here Mrs. C!" They heard Maggie's voice somewhere. "Try to find me!"

"Maggie, enough with the games. We have to get out of here!"

"I told you, follow my voice and you'll find out where I am. Speaking of which, I think I found a way out of here!"

Grace and Mrs. C kept Maggie talking as they were able to find another opening path to their left and followed. From there they found a different room in which the floor was a mirror, including the walls and ceiling, making it look like a mirrored box they had stepped into. Taking a few careful steps, it felt weirder walking into their own reflections, not knowing what else to make of this, especially by seeing the tops and bottoms of their hooves.

"Alright Maggie, speak up!" Mrs. C demanded. "Where are you now?"

No reply.

Grace could feel a sharp pain of fear in her stomach while Mrs. C only felt irritation, suspecting that either Maggie was playing a prank on them or that the giggling voice they heard was not what they thought it was.

"Maggie, this is serious. Where are you?" Mrs. C could see the mouths of her reflections move as she spoke. The only voice that could be heard was coming from her and Grace. At this rate, all of them were beginning to look frightening, as horrifying thoughts swept over them. Did something terrible happen to Maggie like in the second level? She can't be missing again because it is not like her to just disappear in an instant. None of them were having an interest in mazes anymore where it was easy to get lost and not know where the exit is.

"Please Maggie, where are you?" Grace called out in a trembling voice.

Silence. Then there was that same giggle again they had been following.

"What are you laughing at?"

That was Maggie's voice.

"Maggie, there you are!" Grace shouted with relief. "What's going on?"

"My reflection was laughing at me. But it wasn't me."

The two cows were puzzled.

"Just come over here before it starts laughing again. I can't find my way out with all these mirrors blocking the real way out!"

Sliding along the mirrors, the two girls followed the hallway to the right, ducking to slip through a narrow opening between the mirrors. They found another small room surrounded by mirrors above and below on all sides, tilted at strange angles as if the reflections were bouncing off each other while they had been moving.

"Keep talking Maggie!" Mrs. C called. "I think we're getting close!"

Once more, they followed Maggie's voice on where she was, with the lights growing dim as they kept moving. The reflections began to darken and their shadows grew longer, but still they kept a move on.

"Hurry up you two!" Maggie shouted impatiently. "I think my reflection is starting to take on a life of its own, and it's creeping me out!"

"Don't move Maggie!" Grace cried. "Stay where you are and don't look at the mirror!"

"I'm not looking; I'm turning this way right now!"

"Maggie, don't you ever know how to…OUCH!" Mrs. C bumped her head on a section of clear glass, rubbing it with her hoof before pounding on the glass angrily. "Confounded mirrors! Whoever came up with this carnival idea should be stripped of his next salary!"

"I don't even want to ride anything anymore," Grace said hesitantly. "I prefer keeping my feet on the ground from now on."

Turning another corner where the walls were all glass with no mirrors, except for one. And there they had found Maggie, standing in deep shadows behind a glass wall, with her hoof pressed against the pane.

"Maggie, what happened?" Grace said in a panic.

Maggie shrugged. "I don't know, I just found myself in here after I was leaning too close on one of the mirrors we passed by which…turned around the moment I touched it. Now I know why they call it the Hall of Mirrors."

Grace and Mrs. C moved closer, seeing that Maggie really was behind a wall of glass in a different room. There didn't seem to be any way to get to their trapped friend on the other side as they had inspected every corner with no handles or any secret doors behind any of the walls.

"Can you find an opening on the other side?" Mrs. C asked. "If not, we'll help get you out of there."

Maggie followed her friends' example as they searched the corners again for anything that would look like an opening or handle. While Grace was still looking carefully into one corner on the far right, Mrs. Calloway could see her face darkly in the same single mirror. Her eyes stared back at her, dark and desperate.

That was when they realized they had succeeded at nothing more than making a complete circle. Not a single doorway or opening could be discovered. There was no way out.

"I'm still trapped in here!" Maggie called shrilly. "Any luck on that side?"

"Not even a keyhole!" Mrs. C implied.

"We can't give up yet," Grace said. "There must be a way out. How else could guests enter and leave?"

"We're not in the land of the living anymore," Mrs. C replied fretfully. "I have this suspicion that the true owners are not going to let us leave. But keep looking."

Grace could feel her heart begin to pound while Mrs. C tried not to act scared, especially when being surrounded by their own reflections, which seemed to have a mind of their own. Where could that opening be in this ridiculous house?

Panicking, Grace started pounding on the glass, seeing Maggie on the other side jogging frantically, still trying to find a way to rejoin her friends. It was becoming hopeless, now going around the same room more than twice, with no sign of any opening.

"I…I can't find anything Mrs. C," Grace stammered. "It's like everything in here is made of glass, like a real giant box for cows."

"No, it can't be!" Maggie cried. "How else would I get in here if I can't even get out?"

Grace had stopped tapping the glass as she and her friends turned to searching the mirrored floor. It was too dark to see, which made their situation out of luck. Both Grace and Mrs. C turned back to the mirrored wall where Maggie stood. It was safe at this point for all three of them to admit that they were scared altogether.

"Maybe hiding here wasn't such a good idea," Maggie said glumly. "We can't even find the way we came in."

All her friends could do was nod in agreement, having nothing more to say about being trapped. Not one of them was feeling brave one hundred percent. Uttering a worried sigh, Grace could only lean against the wall that separated her, and Maggie.

The same childish giggling echoed again, with Grace jumping back from the now moving walls moving in on them!

"YOU CAN'T QUIT NOW! WE JUST GOT STARTED YET!" It was a rather ghastly voice now sounding like an old witch.

Glancing around frantically, the girls saw that the walls truly were sliding in on them and was not some special effects trick.

"Maggie!" Grace cried, turning to see that Maggie was backing up too. "What's going on?"

"I'll tell you what's going on," Mrs. C acknowledged. "We're about to be bovine pancakes in no less than one minute!"

"PANCAKES?!" Grace shrieked hysterically. "Why would I want to be a pancake? I don't even taste all that good! Not without any maple syrup!"

With no other option to make, both Grace and Mrs. C threw themselves at the moving walls in an attempt to push it back with all their might. That didn't seem to stop it one bit.

"It's not working!" Grace grunted.

"We have to try Grace!" Mrs. C screamed with a struggle. "We can't give in to Willie!"

From the other room, Maggie lowered her shoulder and struggled to stop the walls from moving any closer, thinking she was strong and could handle anything like this. Unfortunately she had underestimated the force, knowing there was nowhere to go or hide.

"Would somebody think of something?" Mrs. Calloway could take no more of this sheer terror, imagining how a bug would feel like once being stepped on by a human foot. "This is worse than being swatted by a fly swatter!" Only now the girls were the flies and the swatter was bringing them to their demise at any time.

"OUCH, I CAN FEEL IT AGAINST MY RIBS!" Grace shrieked fearfully, feeling the glass press down on her stomach.

With one eye open, Grace thought she could see the ordinary reflections taking on sinister appearances such as yellow cats' eyes, painted faces, puffy green hair, and bizarre, baggy clothing with odd colored shapes sewn on them, now wearing the biggest shoes. As if it wasn't bad enough, their teeth were long and sharp; cackling in such horrifying tones that made Grace shut her eyes, wishing they would go away. She gasped for air, having hard time breathing. It couldn't possibly end like this too soon, yet she could no longer hear the voice of her friends crying for help.

_This is it I suppose_, Grace thought fearfully. _We're about to be crushed by a pair of ghouls and we'll never see Patch of Heaven again_.

But before anyone of them realized what else was happening, Grace could feel the floor drop away, falling and falling down rapidly as she noticed the glass walls roll above, with the three girls sliding down a mysterious open chute, one by one.

And in a few seconds, the girls were back outside, sitting up on the sandy ground with a gentle thud. Grace was the first to slide out, with Maggie and Mrs. C coming right beside her. All three of them stared at each other in disbelief for a moment, blinking at the dark, orange sky to see that they were really back outside, with not a single mirror in sight. To top it off, none of the ghoulish employees were in sight to chase them.

"Hey, we're not pancakes at all!" Grace said uncertainly, breaking the silence, standing up on her feet. "We've been pardoned!"

"You mean we're alright," Maggie corrected. "This isn't a court room we're dealing with. If it was I don't think I'd last a millennium in the big house. I'd much rather hang myself."

Mrs. C didn't feel like jumping up and down for joy too soon, not after what happened in that house of mirrors. There was still a location to get to.

"Someone outta really fire the one responsible for creating such a dangerous attraction!" She declared. "Who in their right mind would find it amusing to see us become lost and almost killed in the process? Not me, that's for sure!"

"But we're alive now Mrs. C," Grace assured. "And we got Miriam with us to avoid falling any further traps ahead."

"Grace is right," Maggie agreed. "Right after we head to the River of Doom, no more having to deal with death rides where it might be our last. Let's go find out where it is."

"If this whole carnival is owned by Willie," Mrs. C denounced. "I doubt his lies would be able fool the health and safety department if they were to look at the conditions that are sure to drive away tourists for years to come."

"I rather not think about it," Maggie responded.

* * *

><p>The girls started to move away from the dreaded House of Mirrors, with Grace staring at the world map to find if the River of Doom was listed and located anywhere. The midway they walked through seemed dark, with the exception of the attraction lights coming from rides and booths. Only this time, the machines were in bad condition, beyond repair, along with the rotten food that sat alone, untouched. It was a good thing all three of them had lost their appetite before getting food poisoning.<p>

A recorded spiel boomed from the speakers at the top of the Fun House attraction ahead: "_Right this way folks, hurry, and hurry, step right up, and witness the mysteries and wonders inside the Fun House. Experience a death defying descent down the Raging Rapids! Travel through the Tunnel of Terror! Meet the monstrosities of Monster Island! And that's not all! For those of you dying to catch the show under the big top, be the very first by riding the River of Doom and we promise that you'll be the first ones to enter for free. But are you brave enough to enter through here and give it a try_?" The recorded voice finished with an ominous laugh before going silent.

"I'm guessing he means that we have to enter the Fun House in order to ride the River of Doom," Maggie exaggerated nervously, resisting the need to turn away. "Come on you two, we can't just stand here forever. There are no other turns to go to. Unless you would rather brave the carousel over there, I'll take my chances."

The girls took a quick look at the carousel ride, turning and turning around, with the music going crazy and neighing sounds coming from the fake horses.

"No thanks, we'll follow your decision," Grace insisted. "As a matter of fact, that's what it says here on the map. The River of Doom is in the Fun House."

"Then let's go catch ourselves the first show!"

Maggie's companions followed her to the top of the ramp where the doors opened up for them. Entering, there was a dim light above where a green skinned man, wearing a red and white striped suit stood, holding firmly on the tip of a lever. His bulging yellow eyes took notice of the girls when they looked at him out of curiosity.

"Aw, what have we here?" He said in a ghastly tone. "We have had not one visitor here in over a century."

"A century?" Grace frowned, unsure if that was a joke.

"Why yes, the last folks that entered the carnival never came out alive."

"You mean we're not the first ones to be in the carnival level?" Grace asked hesitantly.

The ghoul shook his green head. "Nope, and I doubt that you'll ever be the last we'll see trapped in this world. The boss that owns this entire park certainly won't allow it…but that doesn't mean you still can't enjoy the show after you're dead. Please enjoy the rest of your time right down that hall." He spoke in an evil tone.

Grace swallowed hard, unable to rid herself of what he said. Resisting the urge to shiver, she and the other two followed the sign ahead, pointing to which direction each attraction could be found. The River of Doom was located in the north path, where the halls were lit up by electric lamps on the stone walls. It only took two minutes for them to find the ride, which was a large boat floating above dark water. To enter it, the girls crossed the wooden bridge and jumped in.

"Alright, now how do you start this thing anyway?" Maggie looked around for some kind of button, but there was none to be found.

"_Welcome to the River of Doom_!"

The girls jumped, startled at the booming voice of a spiel from above.

"I really wish it would stop doing that!" Maggie said, irritated.

"_Please keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times. Remember; don't act so cross if you don't make it out of here alive. That's the whole point of amusement parks; once you enter, you'll never want to leave_!"

The three took notice of the same ghoulish attendant from the entrance pull on a lever close to him, laughing gleefully as the boat ride was starting, but also releasing restraints that popped out from behind the seats and wrapped around the girls to keep them from moving.

"Hey, what's the big deal you?!" Maggie demanded.

"Sorry, didn't I mention that you must have your seat belts fastened good and tight while riding? We can't have you falling out, can we? Boss's orders by the way!" The ghoul waved to them as the boat moved away.

"We'll see about that you double crossing fiend!" Mrs. Calloway shrieked back. "Nobody ties us up like this! Not even Willie!"

Having only the rails to hang onto, the girls could only hope that they would survive this ride as they did in the House of Mirrors. They had to be brave, and not let Willie or anyone else scare them into giving up. In no more than two seconds, the boat began to tilt, signaling that they were going down some kind of waterfall.

"Here it comes!" Maggie hollered, gritting her teeth.

There was no way any of them were about to enjoy this terrifying ride. They just wanted to get to the end of it and solve the mystery of their quest item.

* * *

><p>Grace shut her eyes tight, not wanting to see how deep they were plunging downward. If it weren't for the restraints, she would have been holding onto Mrs. C for further protection. She cried out when the boat slid over a big bump, giving them the feeling that they were going to go off the ride. Then all three of them had screamed as the boat took another steep dive…almost straight down, landing hard before the boat continued to curve sharply to the right. At this rate it was impossible to resist the high falls of the boat ride, now that it left them screaming at the top of their lungs. They were sliding faster and faster, in total darkness where nobody could see where the other one was sitting. The restraints around Maggie became so hard, she could barely breathe. If only she had not eaten so many goodies from the booths when under the Spell of Amusement. Down, down, darker, and darker, the boat had gone, hitting another bump that sent the girls bouncing into the air for a second. Then the boat dipped and curved sharply to the left.<p>

_For crying out loud, isn't this ride ever going to stop_? Maggie shouted inside her mind, gritting her teeth harder and tried to brace herself to go flying out some kind of chute or something that would send them back outside. But no chute opened and the ride was not ending. The boat was going fast still, which caused Maggie to gasp in mouthfuls of the hot, damp air, struggling to catch her breath. The girls couldn't even hear themselves scream over the loud rushing sounds of the waterfall. _This isn't what I would call amusing at all, more like terrifying, and not in a good way_.

Maggie struggled not to let herself be overwhelmed by her fearful thoughts, while the boat went down into the heavy, thick blackness.

"We'll get out of here soon Grace!" Mrs. C had the courage to speak up. "Just wait and see. We'll be out of here, no matter how long we're riding!"

"But I don't see it stopping Mrs. C!" Grace replied, her eyes closed tight. "I see nothing at all!"

"That's because you have your eyes closed!"

The boat hit another hard bump, even harder, yet the girls did not fly off. Then Grace and Mrs. Calloway cried out in disgust as something slimy flew into their faces, but couldn't pull it off while their legs were restrained by the bonds attached to the seats.

"EWW!" Grace screamed. "Something is on my face. What is it?"

"Slime probably!" Maggie shouted back. "But it feels more like seaweed!" Her whole face itched after the stuff flew off, and she saw it was not seaweed, but cobwebs. "YIKES!" She cried out as the boat took another sharp dip.

"This stuff is gross!" Grace screamed again. "And I hate spiders!"

The boat continued downward into the darkness, and then a flare of bright light made the girls shut their eyes. Were they finally heading outside after such a long time?

Wrong.

It was a watery trail of blazing flames that they were heading toward! The river was now on fire, topped by a curtain of billowing black smoke.

"Oh no, we're heading straight into the fire!" Grace screamed in terror. "We're doomed!"

With nothing else to do but cover their eyes, the girls felt a powerful burst of heat, like an explosion. At first thinking that they were truly burning up, a whoosh of cool air made Maggie open her eyes to see that the fire was behind them, meaning they had sailed through it.

"Hey, we're not toasting you two!" She shouted to her friends. "It must have only been a cheap trick!"

Grace and Mrs. Calloway were both silent, realizing that if the fire had been real; they would have not survived passing through or be coughing in smoke. It was all fake. Grace let out a wild frantic laugh the other two had never heard before.

"No fire, no burning!" She chuckled. "What happens next, fake lava falls?" This ride was going to her head, questioning her sanity, having never been as terrified in her life as she sucked in mouthfuls of cool air. "Save your breath girls, we're about to be stuck on this ride for eternity!"

_Never_, Maggie thought glumly. Just wait and see till we get to the end, Grace. _Then perhaps whatever got stuck in your head will leave_.

Just when she was about to think that Grace was right, a chute opened in front of them, revealing lights from outside right after the boat came down one, final, time to float slowly toward a small deck for them to step out of. The restraints lifted themselves off the girls, allowing them to climb out and kiss the wooden floor of the deck in great relief, numerous times.

"It's over, finally it's over!" Grace shouted in triumph, kissing the deck again. "The land is where we belong!"

Standing up, the girls stared wide eyed at a large tent in the distance, hearing the music of an organ.

**AN**: _A new update to this story. I meant to upload it before the end of October, but our old internet modem broke and we had to buy a new one, which is still acting like crap, so I must apologize if some of my uploads come late. But I still hope readers are enjoying the story so far_.


	12. The Ringmaster

**Chapter 12: The Ringmaster**

It was the largest tent the girls had ever seen, standing a mile away, colored in red, with search lights waving around from behind. In this side of the carnival, there were no rides or game booths to be found. Nothing looked at all familiar.

"Looks like we found the Big Top Circus alright," Maggie said uncomfortably. "Time to give those circus performers the time of their lives."

"I'm with you on that Maggie," Mrs. C agreed.

Grace said nothing while keeping close to her friends. The boat ride gave her a true feeling of terror, which would likely leave her mute for a short amount of time before the real action inside the tent began. Turns out that thrill rides were not her idea of fun as she had thought they would be, and never wanted to ride on anything in any carnival again. Moving toward the large tent, the girls noticed a rather strange booth where dark gold letters above gleamed: _Madame Marissa_! And down below it read: _Fortunes told, palms read! See into your future. What message will the great Madame Marissa have for you_?

"Hah!" Mrs. Calloway scoffed in disbelief. "What utter rubbish! Such a power does not exist in our world. I tell you folks like these are con artists that are only after your money! Don't believe anything she tells you!"

"But Mrs. C," Grace faltered. "What if it might be something we should know about, like a warning?"

"Now Grace, don't tell me you're willing to believe what you see here."

"True or false," Maggie interrupted. "Let's just get it over with, and find out for ourselves if we can take it seriously."

It was hard to tell if the woman inside the booth was real or fake, but to wake her, the small sign below pointed to a red button. In the center sat a beautiful crystal ball. The woman was covered in a long scarlet gown with mirrored beads, and her shimmering black hair hung all the way down. After Maggie had pushed the red button, the woman sat calmly with her eyes closed, doing nothing.

"Well what a waste of our time on this piece of…" Mrs. Calloway never got to finish her sarcastic remark once they saw the eyes of Madame Marissa open widely. All of them gasped in surprise.

"Welcome all," it had spoken. "Allow me to show you the path of your destiny."

"I can't believe we're doing this," Mrs. C whispered, under her breath.

"Your future is in the eyes of the crystal ball." Madame Marissa swayed back and forth as she chanted in a singsong voice, "Ball of Crystal, ball of crystal, show me what shall come to pass!" suddenly, the crystal began to glow and Madame Marissa sat stiff, eyes closed. Then she opened them and peered deep into the crystal ball. "It is for you girls to know that you are in great danger. The hand of darkness has cast a shadow over your lives. Unless you survive before the hour glass reaches zero, you will be trapped here forever. Heed these words and remember, your final fate lies within the ruins of a dark cathedral. Beware the gargoyle, made of stone! It will be up to you to know when the paths of destiny can be changed, when the time arrives."

After that, the eyes of the fortune teller closed, tilting her head down in silence as the crystal lost its glow. The girls stared at the booth for several seconds, mixed with confusion and fear of what they were told, even Mrs. C, although she would never admit it.

"OK, I think we better just head inside the tent," Maggie prompted. "This is starting to creep me out."

"See Maggie, what did I tell you about fortune tellers," Mrs. C asserted.

"But what if it really is a warning for us?" Grace argued. "We can't just ignore it. It might have something to do with the final level ahead. Cathedral, stoned gargoyle, we need to be aware of what were up against or else we'll get caught in a deep hole that we'll never get out of."

"Good point there Grace," Maggie confessed. "We'll keep those words in mind…right after we check out the show."

Entering the tent, the girls nearly jumped at the sight of seeing wild animals in cages such as bears, lions, tigers, leopards, seals, dogs, zebras, camels, and horses, with expressions on their faces that were more sad than happy. As frightened as they were of the large cats trying to reach out for them, the girls couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor beasts. If this was how life in the circus was for animals, there was no way any of them ever wanted to be a part of such cruelty. Sad thing was there was not much the girls could do to help them, not without a key.

"Go back, please!" A zebra begged. "Run away before he locks you in like he did to us!"

"You mean the Ringmaster?" Grace turned to face the zebra, which nodded his head.

"This is not a show. This is real. The Ringmaster never lets anyone leave once they enter the tent. Please, we're begging you to leave before he sends the clowns to catch you!"

"No, we're not leaving here until it's we know the show is over for good!" Maggie responded, courage building up. "You'll see, whoever threw you in that cage will be sorry he ever messed with us. We'll be sure that you'll be out of there before you can say…"

"BUBBLE GUM ATTACK!"

The girls turned and quickly dodged an oncoming pink goop that hit the side of the cage where a camel was being held. They looked up to see a blue haired clown creature, holding a strange gun in his hands, pointing at the girls. He wore a sadistic smile on his painted face, and clicked the gun again for another attack, which also missed the girls.

"Looks like someone decided to send in the clowns!" Maggie hollered, backing up.

The clown creature came closer, followed by four more clowns with the same gun, laughing hysterically, thinking they had the girls trapped.

"We got to do something or else we're stuck in gum," Grace said fearfully.

"The marble shooter, hurry!" Mrs. C said to Maggie.

Pulling out the marbles in the glass jar, Maggie looked back at the clowns with a piercing gaze and threw them on the ground, to watch them lose their balance completely and use their weapons on each other as they toppled over, becoming stuck in their own bubble gum.

"Well, looks like the joke is on you crummy clowns!" Maggie jeered, as she and her friends passed around them safely. "Perhaps you should think about cutting back on the bubble gum before it rots your teeth!"

"Wait up!" The zebra called out to their attention. "If you do encounter the Ringmaster at the end, be sure to watch out for any more clowns, fire eaters, bearded ladies, Chinese acrobats, and unicyclists that will try to stop you on the way. Prepare yourselves with those weapons."

The girls thanked the poor zebra, once again promising that they'll somehow set them free by having another talk with Willie. Keeping their weapons ready, the ruby necklace started to shimmer lightly from around Grace's neck, meaning they were about to get close to the end. It wasn't long however when another voice boomed out from a hidden intercom.

"WELCOME LADIES AND GENTLEMEN TO THE CIRCUS OF WONDERS, THE SIDESHOW OF THE SINISTER AND THEATRE OF ODDITIES! ENTER A REALM OF THE UNKNOWN WHERE YOU CAN EXPLORE THE SHADOWS OF YOUR DEEPEST NIGHTMARES COME TO LIFE BEFORE YOUR EYES! BEHOLD MONSTROUS CREATURES OF MYTH AND LEGEND FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE ABYSS! COME AND SEE ZORA, THE BEARDED LADY! WITNESS DEATH DEFYING ACTS OF THE TRAPEZE ARTISTS! FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOW ENTERED, PREPARE TO LEAVE THE MORTAL WORLD BEHIND, FOR THERE IS NO TURNING BACK!"

"So much for having a fun time at the carnival," Maggie said in her usual ironic tone. "If Willie thinks he can scare us into quitting, maybe he should reenter the Outlaw University."

"I'm not giving up either," Grace nodded in agreement. "It may be scary, but I'm not backing down just like that."

* * *

><p>The girls moved passed what appeared to be many colored balloons floating around in this area of the tent. A sign in the middle read: <em>Beware of snakes hiding in the balloons<em>.

"You girls," Maggie cautioned. "Whatever happens, whatever you do, try not to touch the balloons."

Grace, unable to duck and cover, could only keep a close eye on the balloons as they passed on. Could there really be snakes hiding in the balloons, or was it Willie playing with their minds again? There was not enough light to see through any of them.

Without even noticing, Grace had stepped on a red balloon lying on the floor which let out a loud POP! Startled, she fell backwards next to her friends. All of them heard a hissing sound, which grew louder, coming from the viper! And it was already slithering toward the girls, preparing to bite.

"Run!" Grace cried. "It's coming straight at us!"

With no interest in fighting the venomous creature, the girls took off out of the balloon area, not even caring that they had accidentally stepped on a few more balloons that released other different types of snakes. However, the snakes apparently had turned away from the girls, when the sound of an ethereal instrument like a clarinet started to play. Still they ran on, not wanting to find out what was in control of that instrument. For all they knew, the best option was to not look back.

The next path they took curved past a row of evil looking clown statues, made of stone. They had horrible grins on their faces, revealing long sharp teeth; eyes narrowed menacingly, arms outstretched, ready to grab anyone that came close.

"Don't get close to those statues," the soft voice of Miriam whispered in caution. "And don't look at them in the eye. It's another one of Willie's tricks. Believe me; you don't want to know what they do once you're close."

Ignoring the statues, the girls walked a few feet away from them, despite that they could hear low, evil laughter from behind. From this, Miriam had insisted they were only from the statues, still waiting for them to come closer. All three of them kept moving, encountering real clowns in the next room ready to attack with their bubble guns. Using the same marble strategy, the clowns fell down, losing control of their sticky bubble guns, getting stuck together while the girls made their escape. Piece of cake, right?

However, those clowns were only the beginning. Grace paid close attention to the glow around the red amulet, seeing the light increasing as they moved further down the trail in between other tents, staying alert with their weapons. They slowed to a stop as they found another sign hammered down next to a purple tent. This one had an arrow pointing in a direction the girls were going. It read: _This way to the show_. _Watch out for the wild clown brothers_.

"The clown brothers?" Grace frowned.

"Never mind that Grace," Maggie insisted. "Just follow the glow. We find our treasure, we find the Ringmaster."

Grace fought hard not to feel scared as she and friends moved down another path in between tents where they only saw a few balloons floating by, avoiding their touch and luckily no circus freaks so far…well except for the grotesque, fat bearded lady, dressed in pink, which popped out of a green tent.

"UGH!" Maggie screamed in disgust. "Did I miss something, or is that a lady moving right at us with one bad hairdo?" She and her friends stepped back, unsure of how to fight this thing.

"That's no lady Maggie!" Mrs. C answered firmly. "That's a monster with a big appetite and a round buxom!"

Then the bearded lady jumped up and back down, sending a ripple of shock waves which the girls were lucky to dodge in time.

"Not on me!" Maggie gazed at the bloated freak with a fierce expression. "Pounce on this Miss Bearded Diva!" Lowering her head like a bull, plowing into the bearded lady's fat gut, before the monster could release a belly punch. The force of Maggie's charge sent the bearded lady stumbling backward, rolling like a bowling ball, right into a group of oncoming acrobats on unicycles.

"Wow, way to go Maggie!" Grace cheered. "You did it!"

"Just like the good old show cow days," Maggie boasted.

The defeated enemies remained frozen in their place like lifeless dolls, making it safe for Pearl's girls to pass through and step foot inside a bigger red tent where the arrow sign had pointed.

"Oops, pardon me Wheeler Boys," Maggie said, stepping over an unicyclist.

Once inside the red tent, the girls moved safely past a row of balloons, tied to rails, without touching them. Lucky for them, nothing was hiding inside or behind them.

Then all these colored lights turned on in a dark area to the left, revealing a row of strange exhibits sitting atop a small stage.

"_Welcome in ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and children of all ages, you are just in time to witness the Museum of Oddities & Creatures from around the world!" _An unfamiliar, dark voice boomed from a hidden intercom.

The girls turned to the first stage, revealing a fury like man creature with sharp fangs and yellow cats' eyes, chained to the wall. His low snarl sent the girls stepping back in alert, only for the voice to continue its speech.

"_Meet Harold the wolf man, half man, half wolf. Wouldn't want to meet this guy out on a walk during the full moon, do you? You'll most likely find his kind in Transylvania_."

The wolf man snarled and reared, unable to break the chain. The girls moved onward to the next stage, hearing the voice continue.

"_Zora, the bearded lady. She sure won't get a date anytime soon, nor is she in the slightest interest of one_."

"Yuck, how about getting a haircut while you're at it!" Maggie scoffed at the fat, grotesque woman in the green dress, sitting there in silence. "Who lives like that?"

The two girls pushed Maggie away from the stage and onto the next one before she could utter the wrong words to trigger the bearded lady. They followed the sound of a clarinet playing.

"_And in this corner, the snake lady Sadira, all the way from India_!"

The girls saw the brown skinned lady dressed in Middle Eastern clothing and gold jewelry, having four arms instead of two, the top ones holding a clarinet with snakes slithering at each tune. None of them were interested in finding out what happens next once the tune was over, so they ignored the voice on the intercom, continuing onward where they passed by an enormous muscle man lifting a ton of heavy weights that even Maggie couldn't handle. Other exhibits included an acrobat doing all sorts of impossible body movements, hoopers, a juggler, fire eater, sword swallower, a mermaid, a midget on a unicycle, and the Siamese twins Harry & Gary.

"Let's hope that is the end of the Freak show exhibit," Maggie frowned. "This is giving me a headache."

"What is that over there?" Grace muttered frightfully, frozen stiff from an oncoming figure in black and white clothing, his face covered in white make up. It had jumped off the last stage of the exhibit, and walked toward the girls, doing all sorts of charades with his hands. Grace was getting scared every second when she saw his so-called cheery expression on that unsatisfied grin, making square motions. "Run for it you two!" She cried, hoping they'll run after her, only to find that she had crashed unexpectedly into an invisible wall, blocking the next entrance.

"Grace!" Both Maggie and Calloway ran over to see if she was alright, finding no serious injuries in sight.

"Just what is it about this clown that's giving you the shivers?" Maggie frowned. "He's got nothing on us, look at his…hands."

In the Mime's hands, he somehow got a hold of the diamond rose pendant used to summon Miriam, and now he was walking backwards away from the girls.

Grace was now angry. "Hey, give that back you!" She charged toward him, only to find that he did a long back flip and then clenched his white gloved hands tightly, opening them to reveal three small dolls surprisingly similar to Maggie, Grace, and Mrs. Calloway.

The girls did not know what was happening next, but could only watch as the Mime pulled out a piece of brown string from his pocket and used it to tie the three dolls up all together. And the most unexpected thing that happened was the girls finding out that they were stuck together, back to back, unable to move a muscle.

"Hey, what's happening, I can't move!" Maggie screamed in terror.

"My legs are stuck!" Grace grunted.

At that moment, the frozen girls heard psychotic laughter approaching, finally seeing two horrible green red haired clowns, in colored clothing, big red shoes, and horrible wide grins riding in small red cars, honking their horns and holding what looked to be a large red silk ribbon carried in one hand to the other, where both evil clowns were able to wrap up the girls good and tight like a huge present, tying the last ends up into a large bow.

It wasn't long before the same creatures from the museum of oddities showed up, surrounding the captured girls in a circle, slowly advancing toward them, unable to escape as they were now becoming frozen with fear at the thought of what they were going to do at the same time once close enough, turning their heads around in confusion, before a larger box was pulled into the arena by two hideous yellow haired clowns, cackling and showing their long sharp teeth.

"Let us go, let us go!" Grace shouted, kicking her lower legs in vain.

"We're warning you, back off or you'll be sorry you messed with Pearl's girls!" Mrs. Calloway threatened, hiding the fear inside her. But the circus freaks only stepped in closer, their hands stretched out to grab the girls, as some stepped aside for the larger box to make way and open to reveal nothing inside. But that wasn't all; the girls could now feel the hands of the circus freaks turn them over and roll them up to where they were to place them inside the large box, sitting them up on their haunches before the lid was shut up, leaving them in the dark with only a light showing through small holes.

"What's going on?" Grace started to panic again. "Why is it dark in here and where are they taking us?" She and her friends could feel the bottom of the wagon start to move, similar to being in the stock car of a moving train.

"Stay calm Grace, just stay calm," Mrs. C pleaded. "All we know is that we're still alive and we won't know until someone lets us out of here…I hope."

"And I thought I wanted to run away to the circus," Maggie sighed anxiously. "Now after this, I prefer staying home, if we ever get home."

Grace tried to smile and sound confident. "We'll get home Maggie, we can't give up now."

* * *

><p>No more than five minutes passed as the wagon could be heard slowing down by the second, along with the sound of clapping and cheering echoing outside. Finally, the wagon pulled to a stop for a mysterious voice to make an announcement.<p>

"AND NOW LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE GRAND FINALE YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!"

The giant box opened up from all sides; to reveal a large circular arena they were in, all sides blocked by iron bars with no possibility of escape. The audience appeared to be empty, with no signs of any monsters, circus freaks, or ghosts, other than the clapping and cheering going on. Whatever was happening, the audience was as they had guessed, invisible. The bow began to untie itself, setting the girls free as they were able to move their heads and legs again, jumping off the wagon to prepare themselves for the now awaited boss fight.

"WE SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST, TO LEAVE OUR SHOW OFF WITH A BANG! WHO SHALL WE SAY WILL SURVIVE THE BATTLE OF THE BIG TOP, AGAINST…?"

The lights suddenly turned off, leaving the girls in total darkness for three seconds.

"…ME, THE RINGMASTER!" The lights switched on again as those last words were spoken with diabolical laughter. There standing on a pedestal was a tall, skinny man wearing a red tuxedo, white pants, black boots, holding a cane in the right hand, while holding a microphone in the other. His face was pale and boney, his black beard short, yet pointy, and his eyes pierced with total darkness, staring right through them.

Grace noticed the ruby necklace around her neck start to flash brightly, the light pointing at the cane, still held by the Ringmaster. Somehow they had to get that cane away from him before they could leave. They watched him jump off the pedestal and throw the microphone aside.

"I've been expecting you girls to show up in time for the grand finale!" He sneered, tossing his cane in the air, catching it again. "I would've had my boys throw you out for mayhem, but then where would the best part be to end the show?"

"Bring it on Circus Boy!" Maggie challenged, "We're not afraid!"

The Ringmaster smirked with delight. "Then let the grand finale begin!" He opened up his arms, where four hoops lit on fire. "Each fiery hoop represents all four challenges you face. Fail one course, and one of you must jump all four hoops till it's all over. Fail all four, and you'll be shot out of the cannon, into the moon. The audience will decide on your success." The first fiery hoop turned red at the start of the first course. "For the first course, you have one minute to extinguish the fire beasts with your water guns. Remember to keep in mind that this is no game you're playing, this is for real. But are you tough enough to handle it?"

The girls watched several fire beasts jump out of the first red hoop, moving toward the girls with their dance moves. Rather than make a run for it, the girls pulled out the huge water gun and aimed it at one of the beasts, extinguishing it real good to leave a smoke pile behind. A few of the fire beasts jumped at the girls, but they all managed to dodge their attacks, finishing them off easily with the water guns. The trick was not to let themselves get touched and burned by their moves. Being the athletic cow she was, Grace was able to jump and dodge whatever attacks were thrown at her when only two fire beasts remained, and she had no problem finishing them off as their weakness was pure water.

Once it was over, the girls could hear a large amount of cheering coming from the invisible audience, signaling this first challenge as a success. The Ringmaster however was not pleased, as he made a low growl of irritation, even to see that the first hoop had been extinguished of its fire, leaving only three courses left. Still, he managed to stay cool enough to describe the next course.

"Well that was just a warm up for the next course, so here comes a harder course." He snapped his fingers twice as the second hoop of fire turned red, and a snake charmer in a red turban appeared out of thin air, sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, basket placed before him, and ready to pipe up a tune with the clarinet.

The girls backed away slowly when they saw a cobra crawl out of the basket, and started to grow several inches longer and bigger until it was the size of a python.

"Any rule on how to fight a ten foot tall serpent that spits out poison?" Maggie faltered.

"If you ask me," Grace responded, "Now is the time to RUN FOR OUR LIVES!"

That is what the three did, having no idea on how to stop this creature, as their only option for now was running in different directions until they could discover its weak spot. The cobra did indeed spit out poison, straight at Maggie, but luckily managed to dodge it, only to end up being knocked over from behind by the serpent's tail. With no idea what happened to Miriam…

"Wait, that's it!" Grace skid to a halt as she recalled an important memory. "MIRIAM, MIRIAM!"

To their surprise, the cobra stopped in its tracks and spit out something else that wasn't poison…it was the diamond rose pendant, now shining with the ghost of Miriam, landing at Grace's hooves.

"Miriam!" Grace cried with joy. "We thought you were gone for good."

"No time for rejoicing, keep dodging that serpent, and then try striking him on the nose where it's more sensitive. Do that when his head is on the ground." Miriam quickly advised.

The girls ran in different directions again, confusing the cobra on who to attack and follow next until it finally spotted Calloway in one area and tried to go for her with a bite of its huge jaws.

SMACK!

The cobra winced and slithered backwards from the unexpected smack atop his nose.

"SHAME ON YOU…YOU SLIMY SERPENT!"

It was Mrs. Calloway that had smacked the cobra with her front right hoof, angry and annoyed to the point where she could not think of another option.

"How dare you attack a proper young lady like me?" She scolded the serpent.

The cobra looked down, suddenly glowing green and shrinking every second.

"Mrs. C?" Grace appeared beside Mrs. Calloway, staring in disbelief at what just happened.

"Well he was pushing my buttons," Mrs. C shrugged, still irritated enough to give the cobra another smack on the nose. "So rude and vile he is."

The girls watched the cobra glow green again, shrinking once more.

"Hurry girls," Miriam said hesitantly. "Keep hitting him on the nose while he is still green."

Following her advice, the girls took turns to use their hooves against the creature's nose repeatedly, watching him shrinking and shrinking down to the size of a worm, slithering away down a small hole in the ground. The snake charmer's clarinet broke in half, with him vanishing out of sight, leaving the second fire hoop extinguished.

"NNNOOOOOO!"

The girls looked to see that the Ringmaster was banging his cane against the ground like a sledgehammer, and started to pull at his hair, stomping his feet at the defeat of the second opponent.

"Whoa, sounds like someone should consider going into temper tantrum therapy today," Maggie said jokingly, nearly laughing at the Ringmaster's hyper movements. "Take a chill pill there Mr. Circus Boy! You're making a scene!"

Rather than respond with irritation, the Ringmaster put a stop to his tantrums in an instant, and cleared his throat and said with his teeth grinded, "For this third course, I now present Abdulla the Lion trainer!"

The third fire hoop glowed red, and out of it jumped a muscle man in a black spandex outfit, carrying a whip like object in his right hand and two others in his left hand. His eyes fixed on the girls; he smirked and cracked those whips right in their direction, causing a flash of thunder on the ground, and creating three black collars around the necks of the girls, three chains attached to them in front as each end was held by the animal trainer.

"Abdulla will be using our guests as the ultimate bait to lure the lions and tigers into the cage!" The Ringmaster boomed on his microphone, pointing his finger at a large cage appearing in midair, revealing two lions and two tigers growling, roaring, and clawing at the iron bars. The cage cracked open for them to make their way out, sending terrified chills down the girls' spines at the sight of their sharp fangs with a taste for fresh meat. "Who will survive this next round of death folks?"

The girls were helpless against the tight grip of the chained collars around their necks as the lion tamer pulled at their chains, moving them closer to where he was at. He started to run around the arena, pulling the girls with him some more as the lions and tigers were now hot on their trail, trying to catch up on their prey.

"What do we do know?" Grace cried fearfully. "We can't just let them keep following us?"

Maggie couldn't take any more of this. "That's it, I've had enough!" She began to lower her head and charge madly straight into the lion tamer's gut, causing him to yowl in extreme pain. "Follow my lead you two!"

With no time to explain, Maggie dashed past the lion tamer, dodging the pounce from one of the tigers which rolled straight into the iron bars of the cage, stunned and dazed. The other two followed behind her, dodging a lion and tiger as they were able to pull and drag the lion trainer altogether. This time the lions and tigers were more focused on chasing the lion trainer, unaware that the girls listened in on Maggie as she gave instructions on throwing their opponent into the cage by doing so in the middle of the arena together. By this time, it was working as the lion trainer refused to let go of the chains while he was being whirled around in midair and could hold on no longer by the strong hurl as he was tossed clearly into the cave where the lions and tigers entered to surround him, the gate closing in on him and vanishing without a trace. The third fiery hoop was extinguished permanently.

The Ringmaster was now grinding his teeth and growling furiously into the microphone, catching the girls' attention as they saw the terrible expression on his face.

Maggie grinned nervously. "I reckon this is not a good time to say we told you so!"

"CURSE YOU BOVINES!" The Ringmaster hollered. "NOW IT'S ALL UP TO ME TO FINISH THE JOB!" He faced the ghostly audience, "WE COME TO THE LAST CHALLENGE FOLKS! WATCH AND LEARN WHAT THIS RINGMASTER CAN DO!"

The Ringmaster leapt from his standing position like a flash of lightening, landing in front of the girls.

"I'm through going easy on you meddlesome bovines," he thundered angrily. "Time to see how you handle the powers of my watch!"

The girls stood there in confusion, unsure what he meant by that when he pulled out a large golden pocket watch from his jacket, swinging it left and right magically.

"Look into the eye of the watch," The Ringmaster demanded. "Your eyes are getting heavy, you can't move a muscle, and you're falling into a deep sleep."

The girls' eyes grew wide and started to develop a swirly sensation, falling under a new spell from the pocket watch, a spell of hypnosis.

"_No girls don't listen to him. Fight it; he's using his watch to hypnotize you_."

The voice of Miriam rang in the back of their minds, yet they still couldn't move their bodies or heads away from the pocket watch still swinging about.

"_The longer you stand there, the more difficult it will be to break the spell he has cast. You must reflect the beams, use the mirror Grace_."

"The…mirror?" Grace muttered slowly, still spellbound, yet able to hear Miriam's words somehow. In her tail, she held something and moved it right up close to the pocket watch. As this happened, the Ringmaster looked with horror.

"NNNNOOOOOO!"

The enchanted waves of the hypnosis watch reflected off from the one mirror the girls had won from the games on the carnival grounds. The Ringmaster himself was now caught in the waves of his own powers, hands slapped over his own face as he cried out in humiliation and defeat. By then the girls had snapped out of their hypnotic trance, staring at the Ringmaster in confusion.

"Hey why is Circus Boy having another tantrum there?" Maggie asked, furrowing her brow.

"_You have defeated the Ringmaster_."

The girls heard Miriam somewhere, quite invisible.

"This can't be happening!"

All three of them saw that the Ringmaster somehow got himself trapped inside huge cannon that suddenly appeared in the midst of the arena, moving and pointed straight up, the ignition lighting all by itself. The girls gaped in amazement, unable to recall how the defeat of the Ringmaster actually happened like this.

BOOM!

The cannon fired a hole through the circus tent, with the Ringmaster screaming in midair, higher and higher until he was gone out of sight, never to be seen again. All that was left of this monster was his cane, lying on the ground. The ghostly audience clapped with excitement right after the firing, allowing the girls to take a bow, not wanting to leave this level without showing some kind of gratitude.

Mrs. C gave Grace permission to pick up with Ringmaster's cane with her teeth, now freezing up the entire circus tent and possibly its surroundings on the carnival grounds.

"Bravo ladies that was quite a performance!"

The girls nearly jumped at the sudden voice behind them, which turned out only to be Willie clapping.

"I should be furious at your success, but I'm quite impressed. I underestimated your fightin' skills. Now that your work here is through, follow the exit right over there. Oh, and I'll take that cane if you don't mind. Job well done, I must say. Hurry now, times a wastin'."

**AN**: _FINALLY! An update to this story has been done. Yes I know it is already passed Halloween, and yes I know that I should have finished this story long ago like I should have, which is what I'm going to do, not caring if it gets done by December or January. I must do what I need to do so I don't leave any of my stories incomplete for any reason. Also most of my delays are because of me being caught up in Deviantart with all art images and the request of artists happening. I can't make any true promises, but I can promise to work on most of my incomplete stories before moving on to other upcoming works. Be sure to tune in next time for the next upcoming chapter: The Asylum of Madness._


	13. The Garden of Evil

**Chapter 13: The Garden of Evil**

The girls recently exited out of the tent right after Willie disappeared, saying he would later see them at the gates of the asylum for their new mission. They walked into the direction where Miriam had advised them to take, according to a wooden sign and Willie's footprints walking there. Still unable to recall how they defeated the Ringmaster, Miriam explained how she called to them in their minds when they were falling under the spell of his hypnosis watch, and couldn't take their eyes off of the evil device, but was able to get Grace to use the mirror against the spell, which caused the cannon to appear and shoot him into oblivion. Had the girls not succeeded in all four tasks, the same fate would have awaited them.

The road to the asylum was not too far away, yet what the girls saw was an unusual sight to behold: on a hilltop, leading down the asylum was a green garden of twists and turns.

"Oh no, not another garden," Maggie grumbled nervously. "I can't take that anymore."

"Maybe it's not as big as it seems," Grace suggested, shrugging her shoulders.

"And look, there is no way to go around the area," Maggie pointed out to the high stone walls, sealing off any other alternate routes into the asylum. "Oh well, here we go back to the garden of evil once more."

At the threshold entrance to the asylum grounds, the girls spotted a pair of black cats fighting and hissing, imagining that it was over a mouse, but the haunted hues of green in their eyes discouraged any thoughts of further investigation. Willie had finally appeared to the girls at the front of the gates, smiling with satisfaction, arms folded across his chest.

"Is this the gate to our next assignment?" Grace implied uncomfortably.

"Close enough Missy," Willie responded. "These are known as the asylum grounds one must pass through to get to the asylum. I almost forgot to mention about the gardens in these here parts o' this land. But it ain't too far or too long to pass through. Think of it as walkin' through a wonderland of flowers n' candy."

"You know that reminds me," Maggie stepped up to face Willie. "We got a bone to pick with you…well not a real bone, but it's more of a discussion."

"And that is…?" Willie said patiently.

"We know what happened to the other players from above," Maggie answered firmly. "The others that were here before us."

"Were there?" Willie said, unimpressed as he cleaned his guns.

"Don't play dumb with us," Maggie asserted. "The others didn't just vanish out of sight like that. It was you who trapped them, all because they couldn't finish the games like you wanted them to. We have reason to believe that you're plotting to do the same with us if we don't make it."

Willie smiled grimly. With one hand he opened up his gun to see if it still had bullets inside. With the other hand, he replaced them with some new ones, throwing the old ones aside into a thorny bush. Then he checked out his pocket watch.

"Who put you up to this?" he accused. "Was it the cotton picker, the white rose, or the mangy circus beasts? I should a cast a spell of silence upon them. Ya'll shouldn't believe anything them spirits tell yah. Those who listen will believe anything, which makes them thievin' liars and mischief makers. Why bring them up to me?"

"You like making deals don't you?" Maggie challenged. "We'd like to make a new deal."

"A new deal eh?" Willie's eyes flashed. "Go ahead, ask away."

Mrs. Calloway stepped forward next to Maggie. "If we don't make it before the hour glass empties, we'll stay here in this world and let you turn us into whatever you wish. We'll be your loyal servants, and follow your commands. Our souls…will be forever yours."

Grace felt the sweat run down from her forehead, listening to this. Even she herself could never have the guts to speak these words to any such dangerous enemy in this world.

Willie kept staring at the girls, eyes unblinking. "Not much of a deal to make, but I love hearin' it. And what should happen if you do win?"

Mrs. Calloway sighed reluctantly. "If we win, you send us back home, and set everyone else free. We mean everybody that has been trapped here."

"Now I love this new deal," Willie smiled at hearing this, triumphantly, throwing the pocket watch back in his jacket. "But how will you know where to find the source of these lost souls?"

"Oh we already know that," Maggie insisted. "Everyone from above knows."

"Ain't that a fact?" Willie questioned. "Looks like you won't be needin' my help on that if you're so clever."

Grace on the other hand felt unsure, but bravely spoke. "How do we know you'll keep your promise?"

Willie held up his right hand. "I swear on my own grave, that if you win, I'll send you home and set the others free. Didn't I mention this the first time we met by mistake?"

The girls could only respond with total silence, looking at each other as they shrugged.

"Look wherever you wish for them lost souls. They're bound to be hidden in the form of anything. And don't be worryin' about not findin' any in the first four levels o' the game. There were none to be found. See yah at the real gates."

At the moment he disappeared, the girls resisted the urge to shiver. They were not going to see Willie again anytime, unless he wanted to show himself, making it easier for the girls to be afraid of something they could not see. All three of them pushed the gates open and stepped past the walls, stopping only to gaze at their next destination at the end of the valley. A large building resembling a fortress towered beyond the great hedge maze, twelve towers crowned with a slightly sinister finish.

* * *

><p>"Who'd want to live in a tower of darkness from the dark ages?" Grace cringed at the eerie sight.<p>

The girls entered through the open gates, a low wind howling not so far away, but the force was enough to shut the gates well and tight, nearly startling them.

"This is the right path for the time being," Maggie said uneasily.

Leaves and weeds flanked the cobblestone path spread out before them, hesitantly crossing it and the first thing the girls saw was a gold chest sitting still next to a wooden sign: _These are the gardens of the asylum grounds. In these parts are many hidden treasures to be found, other than weapons. To leave this maze, follow the green lanterns._

Not knowing what these green lanterns were, Maggie opened the gold chest by tapping it with her hoof, revealing a silver object that none of them knew how it worked, which left them inspecting it.

"_That's a flashlight my friends_," Miriam noted. "_Turn it on by pressing that tiny black button and press it again to turn it off. One can only find it in the cities amongst random places_."

Using her tail to click it, Maggie stood back at the beam of the yellow glow, penetrating most of the darkness around the garden. "Let's hope it can help us find a way out after this, and see if it's enough to save anyone trapped in here."

The girls followed the path further ahead when they came into a larger area split into three different paths. With Maggie keeping a firm hold on the flashlight, she looked up and saw something big. All three of them panicked and shrieked at the sight of large coils belonging to a mythical serpent, and dashed up a hill.

"_It's alright girls_," Miriam called out. "_It's not real, it's just a fake_."

Despite the shivering their bodies caused against the bush, the girls slowly peered over their hiding place, and saw what Miriam meant. The serpent wasn't even moving to begin with. It was only a trick of exquisite workmanship: six arches of shrubs and trees were trimmed and cut to resemble the large scales of a sea serpent. An elaborate decoration that added to the moss covered stone slates in the center of the particular area. Relieved at this discovery, the girls came out of their hiding place and moved to where Miriam was waiting, and transported herself back in the diamond rose pendant around Grace's neck.

"_Don't worry girls_," the ghost cow whispered. "_You'll still hear my voice and I will do what I can to help you. This is where I need to be for your sake, and for mine. Keep an eye out for signs, and if you find more useful items with that flashlight, throw them in the air and I'll catch them. No point in being burdened with a heavy load till the end_."

"Thanks Miriam," Grace whispered back. "We could not have done all these things without you."

"Which road do you think we should risk taking?" Maggie looked in the direction of the left path, feeling ill at ease from the sight of the minor fog floating around. "I don't know about that way, so how do you feel about this side?" The girls looked to the right where everything seemed too eerily quiet.

"You know what the sign says you two," Mrs. C mused. "To get out of here, we must follow the green lanterns. So whichever path we choose, they're bound to show up somehow. All paths look rather hollow to me, but let us try right first and see what happens. And if anything goes wrong, run for it."

All three of them agreed to this, never knowing if the new enemy they encounter might be too onerous for them to fight without knowing its origins first. From their last level, charging at a monster the first second would most likely be suicide and foolish. The right path would be the first to attempt exploration for useful items, including the colored stones with lost souls. Close by was a small gate of some sorts, bound by a silver lock. Above this cage was a round emblem depicting a compass.

Grace was a bit confused by the symbol. "I wonder what's inside that…LOOK OUT!" She jumped on top of her friends, shoving them to the ground.

Before Mrs. Calloway had a chance to scold her for scaring them like that, all three of them looked up to see another cut up dragon shaped shrub, eyes glowing red and smoke flaring out of its nostrils. Lucky for them Grace spotted a fireball of sorts coming their way, which alerted her to this, enough to save her friends from getting hit.

"Oh great, how do we pass through that thing?" Maggie moaned, turning the other way to avoid looking at the scowl on that creature, having its eyes on them.

"A fire breathing shrub?" Mrs. Calloway uttered uneasily. "What's next, carnivorous thorns from beyond?"

Hey, don't forget the carnivorous plant monster we defeated," Maggie specified.

"Wait, we got a chance," Grace finally assured. "It might breathe fire, but it can't even stretch its neck. We still have those hedge clippers from the plant house mission." Her hoof touched the rose pendant. "Miriam, Miriam, we need hedge clippers." Her call was answered once the object fell from a silvery light that appeared for a second before it disappeared. Picking it up, Grace dodged a fireball and made a jump to the side of the creature, holding the hedge clippers with her teeth to make a few choice cuts through the neck to sever the living shrub from its spot.

"Time for some weed killing," Maggie declared. "Miriam, Miriam!"

Two filled up jugs of weed killer appeared for Maggie and Mrs. C to use, while Grace kept a good hold on the flash light with her tail to light the way.

Passing safely through the next path, the girls jumped back when a deformed gardener waited in ambush with a pitchfork in one hand. However, Maggie was prepared for another of these zombie creatures, dodging the pitchfork as she charged straight at it, sending the creature into annihilation. It was a relief for any creature they fought with to disappear after its defeat. At the end of this road, the girls saw a bed of violets in the center of a circular dead end. But what really caught their attention was a silver key sitting on a stone rock. With nothing else coming at them, Grace reached out to grab the key with her teeth. With no new path in this area, the girls decided to go back the way they entered and try out the next path where they had first entered the gardens. But before they went back, Grace stared back at the same locked gate with the emblem above, and decided to try it out with the silver key. Luckily the gate unlocked, revealing a large golden compass and right next to it, a red colored stone the size of an orange fruit. With the flashlight in her tail, it kept glittering as if it was happy to be discovered, and waiting to be rescued.

With only one way to find out, Grace whispered Miriam's name twice and tossed the colored stone in the air, engulfed in a blue light. The ghost cow's voice whispered to them.

"_Bless you girls, you found the first colored stone containing the soul of a young mustang. He is grateful to be found, but you must hurry for there are other stones to be found and Willie is not going to be happy about this_."

"We're going to have to take that risk Miriam," Mrs. Calloway responded firmly. "Whatever it takes to get us out of this game, we have to risk it."

* * *

><p>With the colored stone stored safely in their secret inventory, the girls found no trace of green lanterns in this first part of the path they searched so it was time to explore the left path and be super alert and quick on their feet as best as possible. Upon entering, the ground started to rumble and something else started to sting at their faces and bodies, like a sandstorm out in the desert, only this was a garden maze. The girls shut their eyes tight and moved forward, not knowing why there would be sand blowing in a garden zone.<p>

"_Do not stop girls_," Miriam whispered hesitantly. "_Keep moving and don't open your eyes until the wind dies down. You're going the right way, but Willie is furious_."

The sand stings got worse, making it difficult to move any faster, as if the girls were now moving into a tornado infested area. The wind turned vicious and cold, infuriating Maggie, sharp as needles and hard as rocks.

"Alright we get it, you're enraged!" Maggie shouted furiously. "But how about learning to take a chill pill and play fair why don't you!"

There was no reply to her outburst, but the wind slowly dropped away, and vanished, allowing the girls to open their eyes again to look back and see that the opening area they had entered here was blocked by a brick wall. There would be no escape out that way.

"I guess that did the trick," Maggie shrugged. "Come on; let's go find those green lanterns."

Nobody said a word as the three now trekked down a graveled path, passing under hedge swans, the found that the road split two ways, each with a gardener or mutated plant eager to take a bite out of any intruder. The first to appear was a wandering dandelion, puffing out a pollen attack, only to be incinerated by the weed killer in a matter of minutes. A zombie gardener came at them with a pair of hedge clips, which were no match against the powerful kick coming from Grace, sending him against the garden wall, devoured by the thorny vines, grossing the girls out, cautioning them to stay as far away from any walls covered with thorny vines. Taking the left path first, there were no signs of lanterns here, but after walking down two short flights of stairs, there was groaning up ahead.

"Great, more zombies," Maggie snorted in irritation, getting ready for an ambush.

When two zombies appeared with shovels, a new item of some sorts appeared after the quick demise caused by the powerful kicks against the walls.

"_Be careful girls_," Miriam warned quietly. "_That new object is a flame thrower, so watch where you aim it while fighting off those zombies and mutated plant creatures. It will annihilate them much quicker than using a simple kick_."

"Perhaps I should carry this new weapon," Mrs. Calloway stepped in front of Maggie, not trusting her with how to handle the object, in case she made a careless act. Maggie could only frown as she watched Mrs. C throw the weed killer in the air to disappear, before taking hold of the flame thrower with her tail.

"Where do we go now?" Grace asked timidly, trying not to think of that weapon.

"_Use the compass of course_."

The same golden compass from the last area dropped in front of the girls.

"_With this compass, you want to go north. The green arrow will let you know when you're going the right way. But if you should take a wrong turn, the red arrow will tell you_."

Grace handed the flashlight to Maggie, picking up the compass by the handle.

Continuing forward, the compass turned green, giving the girls relief and hope that this was the right way to go.

"Look, a green lantern!" Grace cried out, pointing up at a lamppost ahead, shining green instead of yellow. "We're on the right lane for sure."

"One green lantern down," Maggie uttered, "Several more to go. I wonder what else we'll find hiding in here."

"I'm surprised to find that Pearl never considered a hedge maze for her gardening skills," Mrs. Calloway interrupted. "We'd all be lost in no less than five minutes."

"A maze this size would cost her more than the whole farm for purchase," Maggie looked around for any more signs of green lanterns and colored stones with the flashlight. "We'd be out of farm and home. And there's not a single other colored stone here."

"We'll find one," Grace assured. "It's bound to be here or in the next level...I hope."

Gardening was soon to be their least favorite hobby after this is over. Finding three paths before them, the first one lead to a small dead end, but not without another important discovery. It was an odd sort of water fountain, a statue carved into a fish like monster. Yet something else had caught their attention once Maggie shined the flashlight above where the water came out of the statue's mouth. Another colored stone in blue floated above the fountain, just out of their reach.

"We did it," said Grace, nearly jumping. "We found the next stone."

"But how do we get it down?" Mrs. Calloway debated. "There's no lever or ladder around to use."

Grace responded. "Who needs a ladder when you got speed?"

Before the other two could ask what she meant, they saw that Grace took several feet back away from the fountain and raced forward, long enough to do a high jump above the fountain and grab the blue stone with her teeth.

The other two stared in bewilderment at the friend once she made a safe landing. Grace was puzzled, wondering why they would do that.

"_Thank you, for you have rescued the lost soul of a warrior native. Now hurry on before the next earthquake strikes_."

* * *

><p>Tracing their steps back, the girls stared down at the compass, deciding now whether to go to the center path or the right path. Having no time to waste, they decided to try out the right path, hoping that a red arrow only meant being far away from the exit, and not certain death. There was only one way for them to find out about this. It was a short walk before four zombies crawled out of deep holes and were crawling toward the girls. But with the flame thrower in handy, Mrs. C aimed it at the ghouls with fire coming out, roasting them quickly into black ember.<p>

"I'm not one for violence," she admitted. "On the contrary, those things were already dark when we entered."

"Looks like you're getting into the action of combat," Maggie smirked at this.

Moving passed the burned decay; the girls found another sign before an open area. It read: _This way to the blood roses, tiger lilies, and tickle tulips. Don't step in their bed_.

"Tickle tulips?" Grace frowned in confusion. "Whoever heard of a silly thing called a tickle tulip?"

"Never mind the tickle tulips; I don't like the feeling of what a blood rose is capable of doing by a single bite from its hidden fangs of terror," Maggie shuddered at the eerie thought.

"Surely there must be something of importance in there," Mrs. Calloway alleged. "Word to the wise, we investigate to make sure of it. And if there isn't, we leave."

No further arguments were made as the girls went inside the open garden zone, with no clear openings, but a creepy stone water fountain in the very midst, surrounded by three flower beds.

"Maybe we've stepped into some kind of puzzle," Grace guessed, looking around her in case of enemies hiding.

"If it's a puzzle, where are the pieces?" Maggie implied.

"_The piece you'll find here is not like the others. When I sense a lost soul nearby, you'll hear my voice. What I mean is that while every petal in this garden might attempt to attack intruders, only one of them is of a different color; search carefully_."

"Only one flower of a different color?" Maggie rephrased that. "I don't know what that means, but let's investigate."

Holding the flashlight in her tail, the other two followed Maggie instead of searching separately with the possibility of one meeting their unexpected doom. The first flower bed to search was the tiger lilies, guarded by a large iron fence, more similar to a cage holding captive animals. The girls got their answer to why this cage was here when one of the tiger lilies woke up and tried to reach out through the bars with its pointy leaves, roaring viciously like a real circus tiger, revealing a row of sharp teeth.

"So that's the reason they call them tiger lilies!" Mrs. Calloway cried out in terror, sticking close to her other shocked and worried friends. "They must not like the smell of visitors!" They soon watched the other tiger lilies wake up to the roar, and were attempting to escape the unbreakable cage with their constant growling and scratching.

"Let's move out of here before they do manage to break out!" Grace whimpered, not wanting to find out what would happen if they got dragged in accidentally.

They walked passed the creepy fountain to see if there was anything unusual in the bed of blood roses, which were apparently white instead of red.

"Hold on a second," Maggie pointed out.

"What is it now Maggie?" Mrs. Calloway demanded, losing her patience with too many interruptions coming from her.

"These roses are white," the show cow implied, gesturing her head to the color. "I mean what other reasons they would be called blood roses if…" before she could finish, a dirty black bat flew down in the path, but missing them as it dived into the white rose bed, stuck. What happened next was sudden movement from several white roses wrapping themselves around the shrieking and squealing rodent, with only the sounds of munching and sucking to be heard which went on for moments. This horrific scene sent frozen waves of chills across the cows, even as the vines unwrapped; now leaving a bat skeleton and several RED roses, thorns dripping and soaked with blood!

"NOTHING IN THIS PLACE!" Maggie screamed and dashed out of the blood rose garden, followed by her two frightened friends, wishing not to meet the same demise as the bat.

With not a single unusual flower found in the first two beds, there was only one last area to search in the garden of the tickle tulips, with a device unknown and unheard of sitting on the brick floor. Maggie was able to keep the flashlight on, seeing that these tulips were all the same color of pink, but none of them showed signs of any life. Their hopes of finding anything were growing slim, until the flashlight caught something for Maggie to take notice of, glittering yellow in a flower pot, as rich and bright like a firefly.

"I think that's it girls," she whispered with relief. "Hold this thing Grace, I'm going in there."

"But Maggie, what if…"

"We're not leaving without that stone," she responded sharply. "It needs our help, and we're the only ones left alive to do the job. So keep that light up for me."

There were no words for Maggie's sudden courage attempt at the risk of what those tulips were capable of doing in a matter of minutes. For all Maggie knew, the poor thing trapped inside might have waited no more than a century or so calling for a rescue that remained unanswered. A small brick path lead straight to the glowing yellow rose, sitting on a circular stone pillar. Ignoring the steps caused by her hooves, Maggie kept her gaze focused on the rose, resisting the urge to look and see if any of the tulips were moving from their spot. But it only took no less than ten seconds for her to reach the spot and be able to grab the side of the flower pot with her strong teeth and shouted for Miriam to catch it once tossing it in the air. The rose transformed into a yellow colored stone before vanishing to safety.

"_Well done, you are growing much wiser in this game than ever. Even the young Indian maiden trapped in that rose is forever grateful. Return to where you entered_."

"Then that settles it," Maggie boasted. "No more monsters means no more…"

With a gasp of shock, the tulips had come to life and their vines started to wrap up around Maggie's four hooves and all over her body, dragging her into the flower bed.

"NOT THIS AGAIN!" Maggie shouted angrily.

"Maggie!" Grace cried out in fear.

Their attempts at trying to help Maggie were cut off by the growing number of tulips hissing and shaking their leaves like desert rattlers at the two, even snapping at their hooves every time one of them got close. At this rate, Maggie was growing horrified at what these tulips had in mind for her and knowing that her two friends were outnumbered by the dozens. She shut her eyes tight, awaiting for these plant monsters to eat her alive or worse. But what she didn't see were a dozen of the tulips moving up to her, only instead of using sharp teeth, thorns, or poisonous gas attacks, Maggie started to feel something soft and brushy tickling her face, neck, belly, and her hindquarters. Biting her lip, she tried so hard not to give in and embarrass herself like this in front of her friends. At the same time, the show cow never admitted to anyone that she was ever ticklish in these areas being targeted from the tulips, now understanding where they got their name. Maggie soon started to smile, still biting on to her lip, unable to hold it in any longer and began to laugh.

"Is that Maggie I hear laughing?" Mrs. Calloway shouted in confusion. "That's the first time I ever heard you laugh in this game! This is no time for pointless humor so stop that!"

"But Mrs. Calloway, I don't think that's Maggie!" Grace proclaimed. "It's the tulips behind this. Don't you get it, tickle tulips? That's what's happening!"

Mrs. Calloway became breathless, mouth open wide. "We got to do something before she laughs herself to death!"

"Stop that, I can't take anymore!" Maggie cried in between giggles. The tulips only ignored her as the tickling continued and she started to feel her bottom being targeted next, increasing her level of laughing louder than ever, her sides hurting. "Cut it out, you win! I'll admit that I'm ticklish everywhere!" She screamed in between laughs. "This is a humiliating way to die if you know what I mean!"

"_Use the lawnmower you two, right over there_!"

The other two stared at the same unfamiliar device they passed by and ignored the first time entering here.

"_Push that thing by the use of the silver iron bar. Tickle tulips are no match against future progress_!"

Miriam's voice faded before Mrs. Calloway gathered up her determination and courage to give that thing a try, holding the iron bar with her teeth firmly. She started to zoom off at a great speed, cutting those pesky weeds from the ground, sheared, scattered, and lifeless, now putting an end to the tickling and laughing. Maggie had collapsed to the ground, sighing and breathing heavily. Grace and Calloway ran over to check up on her.

"Maggie, are you alright?" Grace whispered anxiously.

"I hope so," she replied, taking a deep breath. "Just as long as none of us mentions this incident once we get back home. I'll be fine then. You hear that Calloway? I am not ticklish, not in the least."

Mrs. Calloway could only giggle and smile at Maggie's sudden denial, keeping her opinions about that to herself for now.

The girls were able to trek back to the where they were originally going to take the center path after snatching the second colored stone. This time, there was another green lantern inside, while the compass signaled them going the right way with the green arrow pointing north. Four more green lanterns followed, leading to a glowing yellow fountain for each of them to recover their lost strength. The end of the path stopped at a row of stone stairs leading down an underground tunnel.

**AN**: _Looks like I must apologize again for such a long update on this and my other stories. Not only was I caught up in a cartoon project at home, but was working on some more art works for the Deviantart website that has become a successful site for me and my works on catching other artists attention. I always hate leaving my stories on a cliffhanger for those who are dying to see what happens next, so I'm going to see how much more of this story I can finish up. _


	14. The Asylum of Madness

**Chapter 14: The Asylum of Madness**

Luckily for the girls, the underground tunnel was free of any monsters, ghouls, ghosts, zombies, and mutant insects. It turned out to be nothing more than a simple dark tunnel of stone floors and walls, littered with a few cobwebs, and lit by torches all the way at the very end, where another set of stone steps awaited to lead them up to the surface. And up that surface was where the girls beheld the front gates of the asylum; the _Hollow Hills Asylum & Animal Hospital_ as it said on a sign in the stone walls. To them, it looked unpleasant from afar, but by being this close, it was indeed terrifying than before. Built on top of a moat, the stone walls and towers made the edifice look as if some kind of legendary serpent was opening its jaws wide enough to swallow up whatever unlucky gamers were at range. Top that off with the many bar-enclosed windows, and it looked like a nightmare personified in stone.

"Are my ears going crazy, or do I hear people screaming from inside?" Grace said, gazing up at the barred windows, seeing nothing. "Someone must be in trouble."

Mrs. Calloway couldn't be sure of that. "Either they're in trouble, or we're the ones who'll be in trouble once we reach that spot. Don't forget what we are dealing with."

"I heard it too Grace," Maggie said, moving closer to the gate. "It sounds like people, and there is no doubt they could be in more than just your average trouble. It could even be another trap set up by Willie. I wonder where he is by now."

The iron gates opened up unexpectedly, allowing the three cows to enter in and close, locking them inside with no way out, as usual. They learned to get used to that and let it go.

Willie appeared at the front doors. "Welcome to Hollow Hills Asylum and Animal Hospital, home to the criminally insane and to untamed, wild critters! By that I mean behind those walls from within, the sanitarium holds no mercy to those inmates beyond all hope, nor have there been records of such escape. Also best known as the mental institution, looney bin, nut house, psychiatric ward, call it whatever name you want. Above it all, this institution has quite a grim and tragic history."

"What tragic history?" Grace asked, hoping for more clues.

Willie threw his hands behind his back, walking slowly around the girls. "First let me start by sayin' only those beyond all insanity, madness, disturbin', or violent are capable o' bein' signed in to the asylum, particularly Hollow Hills Asylum. The history o' this here place dates back many years ago where it's been tarnished by rumors of occult practices and bizarre experiments conducted upon the inmates. The point o' this was findin' different means o' therapy treatment and new cures for all types o' illnesses. On the other hand, there came a downside to these experiments."

"Maybe I shouldn't have asked," Grace whispered, not wanting to hear anymore as she lowered her head with shame.

Ignoring her, Willie continued, "The former wardens of the sanitarium, Doctor Harold Butcher and his staff trainers were accused o' conductin' all sorts o' sinister experiments on those under their care. In his office, they found occult books, medicine books, ritual diagrams, and dismembered organs labeled in jars of all shapes and sizes. These were recovered at the scene o' the crime, along with many other strange surgical instruments none o' them wanted the public to know about."

The girls started to shudder and cringe at the thought all this detail description, but this was their new mission so whatever Willie was telling them might help to understand this institution better. They let him go on.

"After the authorities were called into his office, Doctor Butcher went missin' without a trace. No one and I mean no one knows what happened to the mad man, except maybe the assistant Professor Alder Wood, taking a vow o' silence, leavin' the authorities baffled by the mystery. Soon afterward, Alder Wood was appointed to the position o' Doctor Butcher to take his place and continue his work in the field o' psychiatric research…until the night o' the fire which claimed the lives and mind o' the staff and inmates. How it all happened was another mystery unsolved. To top it all off, the bodies o' Alder Wood and Doctor Butcher were never found, unable to prove whether they died or might've still been out there. Now the asylum stands abandoned and forgotten by time, haunted by the spirits of those that perished in the fire."

Grace asked fearfully. "Is that the end of the story? I hope so."

Willie shook his head in response. "That's the end of the history behind Hollow Hills Asylum, but now it's time to hear your mission."

Grace couldn't help but swallow, frightened of everything she heard. Still she had to do her best to resist what was inside that building for them and not let fear overcome her in the end.

Willie cleared his throat and straightened his black jacket. "Within these dark halls, the inmates run loose, freed from their cells and consumed by madness. The doctor sits and waits in his office on the top floor, awaiting his next patients. Without his glasses, he is helpless. Bring them to me…if you survive."

Snapping his fingers, Willie vanished before the doors to the asylum opened up with an unpleasant creak.

Mrs. Calloway stepped up before the other two. "Come on you two, it looks like we have a mad Doctor Frankenstein copycat to encounter at the top floor. So we must stick together and not lose one another. There is a reason someone once told me not to underestimate the power of the enemy, no matter how much courage and determination you have. If you're afraid, don't let it stop you. We're all in this together, so we must believe in ourselves."

Maggie and Grace looked at each other for a moment, and then back at Mrs. C, nodding in response to this. Not even Maggie was too proud at this time to admit she was afraid of what was inside the asylum, but this had to be done or else they'd never leave. She couldn't give up, not when they've managed to come this far. There was no time to reconsider.

"You're right Calloway," she noted. "Even if we are scared, we can't give up, not anytime. We're a team, so let's go kick some undead ghoulish behinds all the way."

"Remember Maggie, control your temper," Mrs. C reminded firmly.

Entering through the doors together, they felt something give way under their hooves. Looking down, they saw darkness where a floor should be.

"…oh no!" Was all Maggie could mutter before they fell into the hole, sliding down some kind of chute, screaming all the way down.

* * *

><p>The sliding didn't last too long once the girls landed on something soft, on top of one another. It turned out to be a dusty old mattress, just lying on the black and white checkered floor.<p>

"Well thank the heavens we did not land on something sharp and slimy," Mrs. Calloway muttered, keeping her hat in place.

"But where are we now?" Grace implied, looking at their surroundings.

Maggie shrugged. "I have no clue what this room is, maybe it's a gathering group or whatever doctors best describe it as." The ceilings were littered with cobwebs and tiny spiders crawling around, making Maggie's skin crawl. "Let's hope it is not the room of doom."

From what they could tell of the stone works and wooden frameworks all around, this had to at least be the lower floors of the asylum, having a few chairs littered around and broken and two small tables.

"It sure is cold down here," Grace shivered. "But maybe we can ask someone behind that window over there." She pointed out to a glass frame, what is to be the desk where patients check in.

With no other options, the girls went up to the glass window, as Maggie knocked on it repeatedly with her hoof.

"Oh well, guess it's not another room in there as we thought there was," she hesitated, hating the idea of who or what was in there, thinking of turning around before she got a look at it.

"I think you're supposed to ring the bell here," Grace pointed out to a small round device sitting outside the window, and used her hoof to ring it several times. That did the trick alright, and with a gasp of surprise, a skeletal hand shot out of the opening window, snatching her hoof. "Something's got me!" She cried out in terror.

"Hang on Grace!" Mrs. Calloway cried out as she and Maggie grabbed onto Grace and managed to pull her back, freeing her hoof from the mysterious hand.

The owner of the skeletal hand turned out to be a nurse, a blue skinned nurse with green eyes, red lips, long indigo hair, wearing a simple light green outfit with a white jacket, and a white hat on top her head.

"If you wish to be checked in, must you create such noise?" The nurse spat.

The girls were left puzzled and stared at the nurse dumbfounded for a moment, until Maggie stood up and bravely walked toward the nurse.

"Listen Miss, we're in a bit of a rush here," she asserted. "Any chance you can tell us how to get into the halls. Those bars are blocking our path."

"First you must check in with me according to the rules," the nurse responded, holding up a clip board and a pen. "Now give me your names and I'll open the door for you."

"We don't have an appointment, but…"

"Just give me your names!" The nurse interrupted, using an eerie tone. "Those are the rules!"

Reluctantly, each of them gave their names one at a time, listening to the nurse scratch on the clipboard with her pen. Waiting for an answer, she responded to them with a smile of satisfaction. "You have now been committed, so best be on your way." She pressed down on a red button, which opened up the barred door for entrance. "Welcome to Hollow Hills Asylum. To find the doctor and his assistant, take the elevators to the top floor. I'll be sure to send him a message about your arrival."

"Thanks, I guess," was all Grace could mutter as they all went inside.

As usual the door closed behind them, leaving them to guess that the nurse wanted to prevent them from escaping, just like all the other inmates that have been here. Now they were inside a long hallway with a dozen locked doors on each side, hearing the faint sounds of screaming and maniacal laughter.

Maggie could feel her pulse quicken and her blood run cold. "Now is a good time to turn back."

"And where is that Maggie?" Mrs. Calloway tested. "We're locked inside with no escape. Have you forgotten we all agreed that we're in this together?"

Maggie grinned with embarrassment. "Oh yeah, I keep forgetting that."

"_Attention all staff_!" The same nurse spoke from a hidden intercom. "_We have three new members to welcome into the asylum. Now I trust all of you to remember how it was on your first day of being checked in, so don't forget to give a best introduction_!"

"Three new members?" Maggie was stunned from hearing this, hoping it wasn't what she thought. "What is that deluded nurse babbling on about? We're the only ones that are in this empty hallway…with a piece of paper on the wall. What does it say?"

There was indeed a sign on a wall, covered in glass which read: _**Hollow Hills Asylum & Animal Hospital have committed the following inmates that have ventured beyond the threshold of insanity, unable to resolve the mystery surrounding the fire from long ago**_: _Arbuckle, Flower Petal, George Harrison, William Shatner, Patty Parkinson, Anthony Jones, Jeffrey Crumb, Harry Henderson, Jeremy Wilder, Gregory Pratt, Wild Wilcock, Thunder Stone, Michelle Myers, Whispering Wind, Chung Li, Edward Millers, Adam Slate, Buster, Rover Harris, Gretchen Glaze, Lydia Lane, Nellie Rogers, Cassidy Ingalls, Megan and Annie, Tootsie, Fur Ball, Tiger, Sandy, Augustus, Codi, Bluebell, Eliza, Marigold, Orion, Clarabelle, Casey G, Caroline, Neil Vargo, Rosie Ratchet, Olive, Woodrow, Wilson, Harriet_.

The list kept going on and on with the number of names, common and unusual for humans, assuming they were the names of animals. Down at the bottom, the girls were stepping back in horror and disbelief at the last three names on the list…their names, Maggie, Grace, and Mrs. Calloway.

"But…but…we're not even dead yet," Maggie stuttered, struggling to control her shivering. "How can our names be on here so soon? This can't be good."

Suddenly, it was about to get worst once their silence was answered; as the message board slid down to reveal the same deranged nurse from the front desk burst out of the open hole from the wall. The girls recoiled in fear and toppled backwards onto the floor, seeing that she was trying to reach out to them.

"All who sign their names into the Asylum are never heard from again!" she started cackling, giggling and chortling. "You will never leave here alive!"

The girls scrambled backwards, still frightened of her sudden appearance.

"Lady, you are one heck of an ugly apparition!" Maggie exclaimed widely, her tail closed around the flashlight she still held all this time, and the nurse reached both arms out, which were stretching longer and longer. She shined the light in the nurse's face, and she threw her arms over her face, retreating back into the wall with the message board back in place. "There, now let us hope she can stay in there and shut up for a while!"

"I don't think I like being in the asylum at all," Grace moaned, uncomfortable with being near the walls of the corridor. "How can anyone or anything be so…so…crazy?"

Mrs. Calloway shook her head sadly. "That's why Grace…they call it the mad house. Now I understand it clearly."

* * *

><p>It was time to move on from that horrifying encounter and move down the next corridor, reading a sign on the wall pointing to where the Orthopedic room, Cafeteria, Morgue, Laboratory, Library, Basement, and Art Therapy room were pointed out.<p>

"Which room should we explore first?" Grace glanced at the sign, almost reluctant to move forward. "All of them sound unreasonable."

"Well we have to pick something, don't we?" Maggie insisted. "Let's see what's in the orthopedic room down the hall. I wonder what they do in that room."

There was only one way for them to find out as the girls followed what the signs said, not even expecting someone to be pushing a metal table on four wheels, white sheet covering someone on top, with a nurse behind carrying a tray of medicines…and a small glittering green ball into the Operation Room!

"Follow that nurse!" Mrs. Calloway ordered, following the nurse and table into the room they had entered.

The girls stopped in their tracks when the same nurse from the front desk spoke through the intercom:  
>"<em>SHH, please no screaming in the hallways. Doctors and staff are on duty<em>."

"Thanks for the pep talk," Maggie replied sarcastically. "Not that we even asked for it."

The girls pushed through the doors of the Operation Room, finding other metal tables carrying what they guessed to be sleeping patients covered by white sheets. There were electrical devices making strange sort of beeping sounds they had never seen or heard of before.

They found the nurse at the far end, whispering something to the other staff member, both of them wearing white clothing, and clothes over their mouths. Whenever the nurse whispered something, the other member would hand her bizarre tools set on the small metal table. Neither of them bothered to take notice of the girls who were slowly approaching them nervously, unsure of how to react. On another small table close to the body, Maggie looked down to find a long rectangular box, its lid open, displaying it's frightening contents: three long surgical knives lay in the fitted case, the light above sparkling on their razor sharp blades. She stared at them, almost hypnotized.

The nurse still paid no attention to them, continuing her work on the body.

"Maggie, snap out of it," Mrs. Calloway whispered sharply in her ear. "We got to get that stone out of here."

Coming to her senses, Maggie saw with relief that the green colored stone was sitting on the other side of the table next to those bizarre tools. Only problem was if it was possible to just snatch it off there and just assume the nurse and staff member would let them take it without alerting anyone. Eventually pushing the thought aside, Maggie managed to squeeze herself in between the stretchers, gazing over at the two staffers to make sure their back would stay turned all this time as she got closer to where the green stone still sat. Picking it up with her teeth, Maggie glanced over her shoulder; their backs remained turned as she had hoped; now walking backwards toward where her friends waited.

"Walk slowly toward the doors," Mrs. Calloway whispered with caution, "And don't step on anything."

Slowly the girls made it back out in the halls, undetected and giving them a chance to relax from the whole experience in order for Maggie to whisper Miriam's name twice and throw the green colored stone in the air, vanishing.

"_You have rescued the soul of Rover Harris, long deceased Confederate soldier. The asylum may hold other trapped souls in different rooms, underground, or in medical boxes. You won't get passed the cells that are frozen shut, unless one of them requires cell keys to enter. The phantom staff members will pay you no mind. You were lucky in that operating room_."

"What a relief," Grace sighed, taking a deep breath. "So far, we have rescued four souls, only a few more to go."

Continuing onward, it appeared that Miriam was right once the girls passed by several more ghostly nurses and staff members carrying all sorts of medical equipment from one room to another, not paying the least bit attention to them. Of course, the girls were smart enough to avoid accidentally knocking over whatever equipment they were holding, not wanting to deal with the deadly wrath of dead hospital staff. The rooms of inmates down this lower floor hall remained locked, except for the nurses that entered. There was nothing of importance for the girls to recover in any of them.

"Where to now, should we try the cafeteria?" Grace suggested. "Looks like we won't be entering those locked rooms where only the nurses are allowed in."

"If it will help us find something, we might as well take a look," Mrs. Calloway responded. "Not that I have an interest in eating what's in there."

"How bad can hospital food be do you think?" Maggie said, once they found the Cafeteria room and pushed open its doors to find the whole area deserted with not a single staff member in sight. "Was lunch time over a while ago here?"

"Maggie, this is neither the time nor the place to be thinking about food," Mrs. Calloway asserted. "We need to find out how to reach the top floor."

With a quick look at their new surroundings, the stone and wood walls of the cafeteria were more elaborately built. There were even a few decorations here and there, depicting snakes, rats, bats, and skulls. Built into the walls were a small iron door and a large cell. But above one of the tables, there was a peculiar device shaped like a gun, only it was labeled _fire bullets_. Maggie was the first to inspect the thing, taking it off the table.

To their surprise, an alarm sounded with a sudden, urgent announcement blaring out over the paging system. "_Code blue, cafeteria. We have a Code Blue in the cafeteria! The inmates from the second floor have broken loose_!"

"A break out happening?" Grace cried with horror. "Oh no!"

She turned out to be right, seeing that the large cell opened up and five hideous looking inmates shambled in a single file line, all of them wearing blue, blood stained outfits.

"Not good indeed!" Mrs. Calloway responded in a panic. "We got uninvited company."

For a while, the girls ran for their lives around the cafeteria, all openings being blocked by an invisible barrier. It wasn't as bad though, Maggie made a quick turn to see how the fire gun would work, and the assailants were incinerated by one shot. But it wasn't over yet, when six more deranged inmates jumped out of the cell.

"Get behind me!" Maggie called out to Grace and Mrs. C. "This could get uglier!"

Spurred on by anger, the deformed inmates rushed them, but Maggie knew how to stop them once firing the new weapon straight at them. Normally killing wasn't in their blood, but these creatures were nowhere near human or innocent in their book. The sounds of gunshots, moans fading reigned until the last inmate was slain, with all bodies vanishing from the floor. The iron door finally creaked open.

"Is that all of them?" Grace whispered, still frightened by the image of those inmates. "Should we let the staff know we took care of them?"

Maggie shook her head. "I don't think the staff pays that much attention to inmates running amuck and attacking visitors like us. Someone outta fire them for pure negligence."

In case they might have overlooked anything, the girls searched around every corner of the cafeteria. Grace decided to see if there was anything in the kitchen, being more concerned about getting out of here than about what's for lunch or dinner. So far this level made her lose an appetite for anything, just like Maggie. Inside the kitchen, dirty dishes and spilled rotten food covered the corner of the counters where chefs originally place customers' meals. She could only imagine what was inside the huge box known as the fridge. Still, that didn't stop Grace from searching through the drawers and shelves, before she decided to open up the big fridge. Instead of finding rotten food as she had predicted, Grace found a bronze key with a note written _basement key_.

Snatching it up, Grace closed the fridge door and turned to leave the kitchen to let her friends know what she found that could be important, not even caring who would leave it there like that.

A faint noise then sounded behind her from a dark corner. She wheeled around and stepped back fearfully. Standing there was an obese male chef with blood stains all over his outfit, holding up a bloody butcher knife in his right hand.

"What would you be doing in my kitchen?" He threatened, in a non-human voice.

"Just on my way out Sir!" Grace cried running back to her friends. "Run for it, there's a mad cook in the kitchen!"

One quick look at that grotesque cook and the girls were out of the cafeteria, swerving to avoid a harmless young patient strolling down the hall in a bathrobe. They skidded around the first corner, out of sight, but could still hear the crazy cook's footsteps after them.

DEAD END!

The girls came to a full stop to what was known by all hospital staff as the service elevator, often used to transport all types of medical equipment and patients on gurneys. No other traffic was allowed, except in this case. Not knowing how it's supposed to work, Maggie punched on the arrow button pointing down.

"It's a dead end, what do we do now?" Grace panicked, trying not to look back.

The elevator door slid open, and the girls rushed inside, just as the cook rounded the corner.

"_Come back here_!" He called.

The door slid shut in time, and the elevator began to move slowly downward. The girls sighed with relief, taking a step back-and Grace bumped into a gurney. She wheeled around and looked down in horror.

Lying on the rolling table was a waxen-faced little girl, her eyes closed. Monitoring machines whirred and beeped nervously at her feet. Intravenous bottles hung from poles over the gurney, with tubes leading somewhere into the child's body somewhere beneath the blanket. The bottles had started jiggling and clicking when Grace hit the table.

"Watch it; I got a sick child here!" The orderly escorting the child growled. "You know the rules, no outside visitors allowed in the service elevators." His black gloved hand gripped Grace's shoulder and she gasped at his sudden, tight grip. He pushed a button on the elevator panel and ordered them, "Out! Once we get off at the basement, find your own way out of there!"

"With pleasure your grouchiness!" Maggie retorted. "Just watch how you're treating that poor child." She had gotten a punch in the chest from Mrs. Calloway, giving her a warning glance to watch that temper of hers. It didn't even help that the orderly was starting to growl the moment he took offense to this. Suddenly the little girl's eyes snapped open, fixing Grace with a terrible stare and moaned softly.

Grace could only press herself against the elevator wall. When the elevator crawled to a stop, the girls were pushed out forcefully through the open door. It appeared that they were in a darker hallway, with no hall lights. But they didn't care as long as they still had the flashlight. Then they saw the sign opposite the elevator door: BASEMENT DOOR RESTRICTED. AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. The elevator doors closed, leaving the girls on their own.

"Maggie, how often must I remind you to…?" Mrs. Calloway was about to scold her again.

Maggie interrupted, "Well he was being rude first."

"I would have thought you would reconsider at the presence of a child."

Maggie sighed, thinking maybe Mrs. C had a good point there, "Alright maybe I did get overheated, but come on. Would a simple PLEASE done any harm?"

With the flashlight on in Maggie's tail, the girls were given a much better view of where they were at, now standing before a larger black door with a keyhole. Luckily Grace managed to keep a good hold on the basement key all this time they were running away from the insane cook from above. She used her tail to place it inside and turn, hearing a click before the doors opened up for them. Inside it was quite dark, but it wasn't hard for them to step down the stone stairs.

"_I sense another lost soul somewhere in this basement_," Miriam murmured with caution. "_Stay together and whatever you do, don't turn off the flashlight. You'll need it to find the way out_."

The rumbling and clanking of the elevator's gears startled the girls, and they looked up at the floor indicator. It had stopped at number four, whatever that meant for them, being new to this whole city technology.

"We must get a move on," Mrs. Calloway insisted. "If that insane cook has not given up by now, we have to get as far away from the door as possible."

The other two took her advice on this, and started down the dark hall, desperately trying each door and box as they passed. They were all locked and empty, not sure of how close they were to the next lost soul.

"Which way now?" Maggie moaned in disappointment. "All these doors are locked and I don't know why they bother with these boxes with nothing in them."

"Maybe it's down over there," Grace pointed her head down the next area where she spied something crouched at the end of the corridor. The flashlight revealed that it was nothing but a cleaning bucket and mop next to another door. Just as long as it was not another inmate or the mad cook, it was a relief to the girls as they continued with their search. "There's another door here."

"I don't know Grace," Mrs. Calloway said doubtfully. "It doesn't look promising."

Grace responded, "It might be the last room to search down here. Someone still needs our help."

The blond cow tried the doorknob with her tail, and saw that it was open. Grace ducked inside to find the room to be very cold.

"If you insist on searching in there," Mrs. Calloway estimated, "I'm going in with you. Maggie will stay out and hold the door so we're not trapped in without a key."

Maggie did not have the heart to argue about that as she did as she was told, not wanting to lose her friends to a cold room where she could feel her shoulders freezing. She would stay out here and stand watch in case she heard something coming.

Grace shivered as a strange sort of smell stung her nostrils; an overpowering chemical filling the air. The dark was almost as suffocating as the odor. Gradually she and Calloway could make out several banks of high metal tables, starting to feel their way around the room, touching one of the cold metal tables as Grace kept the flashlight up and ready. By now she spotted something glowing underneath a white sheet.

"Mrs. C, I found something here," she whispered, not wanting to talk too loud.

She was preparing to pull the sheet off when an unexpected puddle of water made her slip, and she reached out to steady herself against falling. Her hoof grasped the end of the white sheet, pulling it off to reveal what was another colored stone in aquamarine. Only problem was it was being held by something with two hands…the skeletal hands of a rotting corpse.

**AN**: _I don't care if it's not Halloween, I'm going to try and finish this story up as it should have been a long time ago. If you ask me, the asylum is indeed a place you do not ever want to be trapped in for the rest of your life, according to most documentaries about hauntings in these buildings. I would like to give part of the credit to my good friend Carlos for helping me with ideas whenever I was stuck on something. The next chapter will focus on the girls encountering other terrifying secrets that happened to all inmates, animals included so stay tuned._


End file.
